Sacelon
by DarkPyroGirl
Summary: In the secret village of Sacelon where duel monsters walk freely amongst their human masters there are special powers contained within a series of pendants. What happens when one day an outsider comes into the village on a mission?(rating may change)
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note:

Hi everyone. This is my own story that I created using Yu-gi-oh duel monsters.

I just wanted to tell you that the Yu-gi-oh characters are NOT mine but most of the names are mine and I'd appreciate it if people asked me before using them.

There are names in here though that belong to my friend which I HAVE asked permission to use. Please do NOT use any of the names without asking. Thanks!

It was quiet morning. The sun was rising in the east as the villagers in Sacelon awoke to begin their day. It was about six o'clock in the morning as a young girl walked though the stone streets of the village. She wore a dark blue cloak over her shoulders, the hood laid upon her head as she quietly made her way to the end of the village. Her green eyes searches around her to make sure no one had followed before she spoke a spell, causing a door to form to the outside world. She stepped out and the door closed behind her. She turned around to see there was absolutely nothing behind her. Not even a hint that there was a village behind her. The only thing one could see was an open field. She nodded her approval before walking quietly into the morning air. She loved these little walks even though she had been yelled at a number of times for going on them. She walked on though the cool air until her ears caught a strange sound.

She walked on quietly through the woods towards the sound. As she got closer she pulled a sword out of the holder with emerald studs on the handle from her belt and gripped it tightly. She moved around a large boulder and spotted someone sitting on the ground. They looked like they were in trouble. The girl groaned inwardly. She could never not help someone who was in trouble. It was not in her nature. She approached quietly and found it was a man. She took one more step closer and a twig snapped beneath her boots. The man jumped up and grabbed a stick.

"Get back!" He cried out.

The girl looked at him from under her hood. He couldn't be more then 25 years old or so. His black hair was a tangled mess, his skin covered in dirt, and his clothes torn. His pale gray eyes looked tired and hungry as well as scared. He watched her carefully.

"Who are you? Show your face." He demanded.

"I don't think you should be making demands sir." She said before throwing off her hood and holding out the sword.

Her blonde hair fell around her pale face as her green eyes focused on him. He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what he should do. He was unarmed and had no way to fight her. Judging by the way she held the sword, he wouldn't get very far if he tried anything.

"Who are you?" She demanded. "And what are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same thing." He said.

"Answer me!" She demanded in a harsher voice.

"My name is Troy Myers of Hoopersville."

"What are you doing out here?" She asked.

"I was on a quest to the Kingdom of Lohan when I got lost."

"Lohan? That's about 256 miles south east of here."

Troy groaned. "I was suppose to be there two days ago."

"Well young master, you're not going to make it there. Especially with a gash like that on your arm." The blonde said spotting the bloody wound.

The man glanced over at it. "I tripped."

The girl sighed. "If you will come with me, we can fix that arm up for you and send you on your way."

He just stared at her for a moment. "Who are you?"

"To some I am known as Kojika. To you, I'm known as Kate."

"Kate." He said.

"Yes, now please walk ahead of me." She said.

Troy stood for a second, as he looked her over. Finally he moved on, dropping the branch and holding his bleeding arm. The two walked quietly until they came to two trees and the empty field. Troy looked at her, confused.

"What are...." He stopped when he heard her mumble something.

She raised her arms and touched the trees before a door appeared. Troy's eyes were the size of eggs when he saw a village appear in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Again I say that these are MY names and the names of my friend's for the characters. Please don't use them without asking.  
  
This is a slight change from my usual stories but I hope someone will like it.  
  
"How did you...."  
  
"Majic." She said before motioning him into the village.  
  
He stepped forward and followed her.  
  
"Welcome to Sacelon." She said.  
  
She moved forward and Troy followed. As they walked his eyes were met by all sorts of different creatures. There were men with green skin and purple hair, men with pointy ears and strange black tattoos under their eyes. There were women wearing armor and women with strange colored skin. He was not sure of what to make of this until something caught his eye. Hanging around the neck of a pale blue skinned female with silver hair was a stone.  
  
The pendants! He thought. I have found the hidden village!  
  
Kate moved up the stone street until finally stopping at the door of a large house. She opened the door and waited for Troy to make his way inside before closing them again. She pulled off her cloak and threw it over her arm.  
  
"This way." She said as she walked into a room on the left.  
  
He followed to find a sitting room full of beautiful objects from different cultures.  
  
"Sit here." She said pointing to the couch.  
  
He obeyed and sat down. She threw her cloak on the chair before turning.  
  
"Dian!" She called out.  
  
In seconds there was a loud pop that caused Troy to jump before a funny little man with green hair and blue eyes appeared.  
  
"You called Ma'am?" He said.  
  
"Yes, this man needs his arm healed."  
  
Dian looked at the man with suspicion for a second before obeying and kneeling before the man. Troy jerked his arm back.  
  
"What is he going to do?" Troy asked.  
  
"Heal your arm." The blond girl said.  
  
Troy let the man touch his arm and in a few moments the man had healed his arm so it looked like nothing had happened. Troy looked over his arm. "How did you do that?" He asked.  
  
Dian Keto just looked at the man and said, "Majic."  
  
"You're dismissed Dian." Kate said, waving her hand lightly.  
  
"Yes ma'am." The monster popped out making Troy jump again.  
  
"How do they appear and disappear like that?" Troy asked.  
  
"Like I said. Majic." Kate said as she leaned back in the chair with one leg resting over the arm.  
  
Troy looked the young woman in front of him. Her blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight as it poured through the windows of the large house. Her pale skin shinned revealing slightly rosy cheeks. Her green eyes were tired yet watching him carefully. He knew she wasn't going to trust him first off. He'd have to gain her trust.  
  
"So, what are all of these creatures in the village?" He asked, trying to start a conversation while getting the information he needed.  
  
She eyed him again as if wondering what his real deal was.  
  
"They're duel monsters."  
  
"Duel Monsters?"  
  
"Yes, duel monsters. They each have special traits and powers. Different ones are commanded by a different person."  
  
Troy looked slightly confused. "You command the monsters?"  
  
"A small portion of them. Veronique, that's my Yami. She controls a group. Sarah also and Onyx who is Sarah's Yami."  
  
Troy just stared at her, trying hard to register what she was saying. There were four of them that controlled this whole village, and all females.  
  
This might be easier then I thought. Troy thought to himself.  
  
Kate sighed. "Any more questions?" She asked rather rudely.  
  
"No ma'am."  
  
"Then may I ask you a few?"  
  
"Um..." He hesitated. "Sure."  
  
"How old are you?" She asked.  
  
"Twenty-two." He replied carefully.  
  
"What's your reason for going to Lohan?"  
  
"Well, I was suppose to warn them."  
  
"Of what exactly?" She said as she leaned back and lifted her feet up onto the coffee table in front of her.  
  
"To the south there is an evil Lord forming a large Army. They are preparing to attack everyone and take the Kingdom of Lohan."  
  
Kate sat up straight. "An army to the south?"  
  
"Yes." Troy answered.  
  
"Right, don't leave this room." Kate said as she got up and walked towards the door.  
  
"But..." Before he could finish she had vanished. 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note:  
  
I would like to thank my friends Onyx and S for Beta-reading and editing my chapters as well as helping me describe their Yu-gi-oh characters as well as the characters based upon themselves.  
  
The girl walked through the hall until she came to a large set of double doors. Slowly she opened them to reveal a large conference room. In the middle of the large rectangular room was a square table with three chairs on each side and one on each end. The table and chairs were made of a beautiful dark wood. The chairs had high, intricately carved backs. Large, wonderfully colored tapestries hung from three walls while the fourth wall contained large windows. These windows gazed out upon the village and its inhabitants.  
  
Kate looked at the young woman sitting at the far end of the table. Her head was tilted forward as she read over the scrolls in front of her. The dark blue sleeves of her tunic slid back down her arms to reveal tan skin that glistened as the sun entered the window and reflected off of her. She looked in her early twenties as her waist length black hair cascaded down her shoulders. She was a tall woman, slightly taller then Kate by one or two inches. Her long legs, covered by tight black pants were crossed as she sat in the chair. She let her green eyes look up for a second to acknowledge the young woman who came in the doors. She smiled, revealing a bright smile.  
  
Kate nodded at the woman she knew as Veronique, her Yami. On Veronique's left, still looking over the scrolls was a tall man with light peach skin. His outfit was much the same as Veronique's. He wore the same sort of tight black pants but his tight muscle shirt was a deep red color. His dark blonde hair hung at shoulder length, tucked back behind his pointed ears. He looked up to reveal his amber eyes under which there were two black, inverted triangle tattoos. These gave him a dark, mysterious look. He glanced at her for a moment before looking back down. Kate just shook her head. Gartic never was one for talking a lot.  
  
To Veronique's right were two empty seats. One belonged to Kate and the other to Pyon, a monster under her command who was off doing something else at the moment. To Gartic's left sat a man almost identical to Gartic. This man had hair of gold and bright amber eyes with the same inverted triangular tattoos. He wore tight black pants and knee-high boots, along with a lace-up off-white shirt. He also however had a broad sword strapped to his waist. He stood at about 6 feet tall, slightly taller then Gartic. A close look at the two would reveal that these men were Celtic Guardians.  
  
"Morning Kai-san." He said when he saw her.  
  
"Morning Celtos."  
  
Next to Celtos sat another young woman about a year older then Kate, dressed in tight black pants, leather boots, and a light jade colored shirt. Her golden-brown hair fell nearly to her waist in faint waves and when she looked up, her grey-green eyes were sharp.  
  
"Where have you been all morning?" The girl asked, an edge of concern in her tone.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Sarah." Kate replied as she stood there.  
  
"We have to worry. It's our job," the man sitting across from Sarah pointed out.  
  
He rose from his chair, making his long indigo hair sway slightly and the material of his loose black pants whisper against the wooden chair. His bright blue eyes, made bolder by his silvery shirt, focused on the young girls as if trying to read her mind. At his height of six foot four, he easily towered over the girl's slighter five-foot six frame.  
  
"You were outside again, weren't you Kai-san?"  
  
Kate just looked at the Damus, the Dark Magician for a moment.  
  
"Katie." Another voice, this one cold and close to angry, rang from behind her.  
  
Kate turned towards the doorway where the voice came from.  
  
There stood a dark woman, the tallest of the females in the room at a height of nearly six feet. Emerald-green eyes flashed dangerously from the darkly tan face. A thin gold circlet held back thick, jet-black hair that fell to the woman's hips, the ends of it brushing the hilt of the sword belted low over her hips. A tight, long-sleeved tunic of emerald green made her eyes seem deeper and more piercing, and her long legs were clad in black breeches and black leather boots that came halfway up her calves.  
  
Kate looked down.  
  
"You know you can't hide anything from me," the woman said, her eyebrows raising slightly.  
  
"Yes Onyx. I realized that a while ago."  
  
"Then tell us the truth. You were outside again weren't you?"  
  
Kate sighed. "Yes."  
  
Veronique threw her hands in the air, Sarah and the two elves rolled their eyes while Damus just shook his head.  
  
"Kai-san, how many times do we have to tell you?" Damus said in exasperation.  
  
"Damus, sit down." Onyx ordered calmly.  
  
The Dark Magician sat immediately.  
  
"Look Onyx, I know you've told me hundreds of times not to go out there because it's dangerous and you don't know what's out there but this time it was a good thing I did."  
  
"And why is that?" Onyx asked as she crossed her arms and leaned against the arm of her chair at the end of the table.  
  
"Well I....."  
  
Before she could go on, the doors flew back open. A pink and purple blur fell on the ground. Damus, rolling his eyes, rose and walked over to the pile on the floor. He grabbed a bunch of pink and purple cloth before lifting it up.  
  
"Mirai, you are NOT the most graceful being on the planet." Veronique said from her end of the table, as she remained seated.  
  
Damus set the Dark Magician Girl on her feet.  
  
"Sorry, big brother. Sorry, Ony-sama," murmured the blushing magician.  
  
"What were you in such a rush for any way?" Gartic asked from his seat.  
  
"Oh, that! I almost forgot!"  
  
Everyone rolled their eyes.  
  
"There's a strange man in the house." Mirai squeaked.  
  
"What?" Onyx shot upright, laying one hand instinctively on her sword.  
  
Everyone was standing now. Onyx turned her deep green eyes on Kate who was trying to look innocent.  
  
"Kai-chan," she began, her voice icy, "would you happen to know why there is a strange man in our house let alone the village to begin with?"  
  
"Well I.....that is....um....I found him." She said sheepishly, trying not to make eye contact with the other Yami.  
  
Veronique rolled her eyes.  
  
"You found him." Onyx repeated, her face showing no expression.  
  
"Well, yes, but he told me something that's really important."  
  
Everyone just stared at her.  
  
"And that would be?" Onyx asked, her arms crossed over her chest again.  
  
"War is starting." 


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:  
**  
Once again.....Names belong to myself and Onyx and S. Don't use them without asking.

* * *

Onyx just stared at the young girl. "War?"  
  
"Yes, he said that...."  
  
She was interrupted again by a tall man walking into the room. He was dressed in dark red robes and was distinguished by a curved horn sticking out of the middle of his forehead and fan like ears. He was carrying Troy by the belt of his pants with one hand as though he weighed nothing. Everyone stared at the man being held up by the half dragon.  
  
"Ony-sama, what should I do with this?" Daragon, the D. Human asked, lifting Troy up higher.  
  
"Hey! Let me go." Troy yelled, struggling.  
  
Onyx shrugged. "Do as he says."  
  
Daragon casually dropped the man on the floor. Troy landed hard, his head slamming into the wood floor. As Kate moved to help him up, Damus grabbed her arm.  
  
"Who are you?" Onyx demanded, moving over the man who lay on the floor.  
  
Troy looked up at the young woman. As his eyes met hers he felt a penetrating coldness. He couldn't explain it, but it made him shudder.  
  
"My name is Troy Myers ma'am." He said as he pushed himself up.  
  
"I never said you could move." Onyx snapped.  
  
Troy froze.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I told you why he's here Onyx." Kate butted in.  
  
"Kai-chan, go sit down."  
  
Kate growled and walked over to her seat, slamming down in the chair.  
  
"Why are you here?" Onyx asked him again as she stood over him.  
  
"I was on my way to Lohan to warn the Lord of an impending war when I got lost."  
  
"You got lost?" Onyx repeated with skepticism in her voice.  
  
"Yes, I ran out of food and water. I became disoriented. Please, I haven't eaten in three days."  
  
Onyx looked from Troy to Kate. "We will feed you and cloth you. You most certainly could use a shower."  
  
Sarah stifled a giggle, as did most everyone else in the room.  
  
"Kate, you're in charge of him. If he makes a single wrong move, you're the one responsible."  
  
Kate groaned. "Yes ma'am!"  
  
Kate got up and walked over to Troy. "Come on."  
  
She held out her hand. He reached up and took it before being pulled to his feet. He followed her out of the room and down the hall.  
  
Onyx turned to Daragon. "Follow them and watch him."  
  
Daragon bowed before leaving.  
  
"Mirai, go back to your training."  
  
"Yes Ony-sama," the girl said before skipping out the door.  
  
Onyx closed the door and turned back to the group.  
  
"This is not good." Veronique said as she sat back down.  
  
"No, it is not." Damus said as he waited for Onyx to sit before seating himself.  
  
"He could be trouble." Gartic added.  
  
"Yes, I understand that." Onyx said.  
  
"What are we going to do about it?" Sarah asked, he eyes fixed anxiously on her darker half.  
  
"That is a good question."  
  
Kate walked quietly down the hall, not saying a word to Troy as he followed her. Troy felt nothing for bringing this upon her. He was on a mission. Nothing would get in his way. Troy glanced over his shoulder, he found the same ...thing that had lifted him up by his pants following him.  
  
"Um, Kate." Troy said as he moved up to walking beside her. "What is that thing following us?"  
  
"That's Daragon."  
  
"What is he?" Troy asked.  
  
"He's a D. Human. Basically he's half human, half dragon." Kate said as she continued to walk back to the main entrance hall.  
  
"Why is he following us?"  
  
"Onyx probably told him to watch you."  
  
She walked up the stairs in the entrance hall and opened the doors at the top. Troy followed her but stopped and stared. Glittering golden stone forming the walls and floor for the first half, to the left of the corridor changed smoothly into polished wooden floors with pale, sky-blue walls. Torches in polished black iron brackets were lighting the long hallway, flickering off the pain of many different colored doors. Troy was amazed at this sight.  
  
"How..."  
  
"Majic." She said as she walked off to the right.  
  
Troy followed her to the third door on the right. She opened the door to reveal a bedroom. The room was simple but elegant. Off-white walls of painted wood were left bare except for the torches in their brackets. Plain, solid wood wooden furniture dominated the room, and a single door was set into the far wall, next to a four-poster bed.  
  
"You'll be sleeping in here. Venture to any of the other rooms and I'm sure Onyx will have your head on a platter."  
  
He just stared at her for a moment. "Yes ma'am."  
  
"There are clothes in the drawers. Go through that door and you'll find a bathroom. Stay in the room until I come back for you."  
  
Kate turned to leave.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
She turned back to Troy and locked onto his eyes. "Yes?"  
  
"I....Thanks." He said.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
She quietly slipped out and walked down the hall. Daragon gave Troy a long, searching look before turning and following her. Troy grimaced and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. If he was going to be dealing with more creatures like that half-human monstrosity, this would be harder than he'd initially thought.  
  
Onyx looked at the group in front of her.  
  
"What do we do about him Onyx?" Veronique asked.  
  
Onyx considered briefly before answering.  
  
"I believe we should discuss it with your light."  
  
At that point, Kate came back into the room. Even as she walked, she argued over her shoulder with Dar.  
  
"I know I shouldn't have done it, but I did, okay!"  
  
Veronique rolled her eyes. "Mon ami, shut up and sit down NOW!"  
  
Kate went over and took her seat. Daragon bowed silently to his masters before leaving the room, shutting the doors behind him.  
  
"Kai-chan, what were you thinking in bringing someone stranger into our quiet home?" Onyx asked, glaring coldly the girl.  
  
"I don't know. He looked like he needed help."  
  
"Help?!" Onyx half-shouted, her eyes suddenly blazing. "Have you considered the possibility that he is here by choice, and not by accident?"  
  
Everyone in the room turned to look at Onyx when she said that. The dark woman did not seem disturbed by it, and didn't elaborate until Sarah asked softly, "What do you mean, Onyx?"  
  
"Sa-chan," the dark woman said patiently, "you know there are people who want the powers we posses. They think they will find the key to possessing those powers here, in the village, not within us."  
  
"You think he's here as reconnaissance, or theft, Mistress?" Damus asked Onyx. The Yami shook her head slightly.  
  
"Honestly, Damus, I do not know."  
  
Kate nervously avoided eye contact with everyone knowing Onyx was right. While everyone went into discussion on what to do about the situation, Kate's mind kept wondering. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**:

Disclaimer, see chapter one.

I would like to say that some of this story isn't entirely mine though. Onyx and S have been helping me right the more detailed parts about their characters as well as the buildings and outfits.

* * *

Finally Onyx dismissed everyone. Slowly others dispersed but Kate stayed. Onyx got up to leave when Kate grabbed her arm. Onyx jerked around and glared at the young girl.

"How could you Onyx?" Kate growled.

"What are you talking about?" Onyx asked, continuing to glare.

"How could you not trust me? Lately you haven't been trusting me to do anything right!"

"Kai-chan, you have not been giving me much of a choice."

"It's like you're waiting for me to screw up!"

Onyx kept eye contact with the girl.

"Why can't you just trust my decisions for once?"

Onyx sighed. "Kai-chan, it's difficult to trust someone who continually creates havoc with her decisions."

Kate was beyond pissed now.

"So that's what you think?" Kate started raising her voice more with every word. "I'm a screw up? A loser? A no brainier? You think I can't do one damn thing right?!"

"Kai-chan, stop putting words in my....."

"No Onyx! I won't stand here quietly while you make a fool out of me. You're wrong about Troy and I'll prove it!"

Kate stomped out of the room. Onyx gave an exasperated sigh before tapping the emerald pendant she wore on a chain around her neck and popping out of the room.

Kate walked down the hall, tears of anger forming in her eyes as she went. She was so angry. She stumbled up the stairs but stopped when she saw who stood at the doors. Leaning against the dark wood doorframe was a tall blonde man. He wore tight black pants, boots that went up to mid-calf, a sword at his waist, and a loose tan shirt that made his topaz eyes look brighter. He looked down at the upset girl and started down towards her. Being angry, Kate only wanted to be alone so quickly and turned and hurried back down the stairs. He followed her as she went out the door and into the village.

"Kojika, what's going on?"

"I just want to be alone Neo." The girl yelled over her shoulder.

The man named Neo knew better than to leave her alone when she was that pissed. He followed her down the cobblestone street. His boots sounded heavy against the stones with each stride. Finally she threw open the door to another building and walked inside. He followed after her and was a few feet behind when she walked into the middle of a large workout room with mats on the floors. She snapped her fingers, changing her clothes into a tight top and a pair of tight pants. She turned to Neo and held up her hands. He walked into the ring as well and snapped his fingers, discarding everything except his pants. He held up his hands too.

"Kojika, what's going on?"

She took a swing at his left side, but he blocked it easily.

"Onyx." She finally answered before swinging at him again.

"What about her?" He asked as he swung his arm to block.

"She...doesn't...trust me." She said, throwing a punch at his chest with each word and driving him backwards a few steps.

Neo raised an eyebrow as he leaped forward again. "Doesn't trust you?" He repeated as he ducked a high kick.

"Yes." Moving backwards a step, the girl adjusted her weight to kick again.

"That can't be right," the monster muttered, aiming a kick at her shoulder, which she dodged.

"Well it is." She answered as she managed to kick him in the stomach, sending him backward by two steps.

When he regained his footing he moved back towards her.

"But that doesn't sound like Ony-sama. Why would she not trust you?"

"Because I brought someone in." She shot back, sweat now running down her face.

Neo stopped short at that and took a hit to the side of his head.

"OW! Wait, you brought someone in... You were outside?!"

Looking concerned, he rubbed his head and watched her carefully. "How many times have the other Masters told you to stay inside? It's not safe out there."

Kate struck at him again, which he blocked. "Just shut up and fight."

He punched her in the chest and knocked her back a few feet before she stood ready again and waited.

"I want an answer Kojika." He demanded.

"You are not the one to be demanding anything, Neo." Kate said as she kicked at him, only to have him grab her leg and flip her over.

She landed back on her feet and glared at him.

"Tell me." He said again, sweat making his bare chest shine.

Kate licked her lips at the sight, momentarily forgetting her anger. "No."

Unexpectedly he grabbed her arms and slammed her down on the mat, pinning her body to the floor under his. He pinned her arms over her head and held his face inches from hers.

"Talk to me." He said.

Kate struggled in vain get out of the position she was in. She tried to knee him, but he had her legs pinned down with his own. She was trapped.

"Talk to me Kojika." He said softly as he looked into her eyes.

She was breathing harder as their bodies were pushed together. Other thoughts were going through her mind at the moment, but she decided it best to answer him.

"You've told me a million times and yes, I brought someone in."

"Why would you endanger us by bringing someone in?"

This was not a question that Kate wanted to hear. She threw all of her strength into flipping Neo off and she managed to roll him onto his back, only to be rolled back onto her own.

"Kai-san, please... I-I didn't mean for that to sound rude."

"This – someone – looked in need of help." Kate said.

"So you brought this person in?"

"Yes. And now Onyx trusts me even less than she did before I brought someone in."

Neo said nothing. He just looked down at the blonde. Her eyes showed him she was being honest, but he still didn't like the idea of her being outside alone with some stranger. He didn't like the idea of something happening to her.

"Neo?" her voice came, bringing him back to reality.

Neo got up and pulled her up so that she was against his chest. He held her there for the longest time. A number of emotions ran through him, anger and sadness the two main ones. He was mad at her for leaving the safety of their home, yet he was upset because she had brought a stranger in.

"Kojika, just be careful. I would die if someone hurt you."

"I know, Neo, but I don't think Troy would...."

Neo stared at her with wide eyes, releasing her from his embrace and taking a step back. "Troy? The stranger is a male?"

"Yes." Kate said looking away from him.

He tried hard to mask the angry look on his face but the fact that he let her go tipped her off.

"Neo don't get any ideas. I'm not about to touch him and he's not about to touch me all right?"

He just looked at her for a moment, his eyes moving across her face. He knew she wouldn't let anyone touch her in any way she didn't want him or her too but he still didn't feel right. The silence was killing her. She hated it when he didn't say anything to her. She always felt like she had made him angry when he was silent.

"Neo." She said quietly.

He still remained silent. Kate was starting to get scared and quickly left the building. When Neo came out of his thoughts he realized she was gone and went after her once more, not caring that he was still only wearing pants. She was half way up the street when he came out of the building. Quickly he popped himself to just in front of her and held out his arms, grabbing hers.

"Kojika, wait."

She stopped and stared at him.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

Kate smiled faintly. "It's okay."

Neo grinned. "Can I make up for it later?"

Kate couldn't help but grin at that. "Yes."

* * *

Now within her own rooms in the corridor, at the opposite end from Troy's own, Onyx paced agitatedly back and forth in front of her sofa. Damus, who was sitting on the sofa, watched her in concern.

"May I speak my mind, Master?"

The tall woman turned and glared at the dark mage. "Don't do that, Damus. Not when we're alone."

"Very well – Rianna. Don't you think you were a little harsh on Katie-san earlier?"

"No, Damus, I don't. Cruel, perhaps, but what I said needed to be said." After Katie had left, the Yami had found Damus and told him everything. "She needs to learn. Otherwise, one of these days I fear she will make a fatal mistake."

Damus didn't answer, just stared at her for a minute. Onyx scowled at him. "Neo is watching Katie. Make sure our 'guest' stays where he belongs." And with that, Onyx vanished with a sharp pop.

* * *

Troy got out of his bath and dried off. He dressed in the tight pants and loose black shirt he was given. He pulled on the knee-high boots and looked at himself in the mirror. Maybe now that he was clean, he could get some food and start his search of the compound. He walked over to the door and slowly turned the knob. He was told to stay in the room but that just made his curiosity greater. He opened the door and peered out into the hallway. No one was in sight. He stepped out into the corridor and quietly closed the door. He waited a moment before moving on to the next door down. Gently and quietly he opened the door.

Behind the dark wood door was a beautifully decorated room. This room had cream-colored walls with back lit curtains hanging at various intervals, creating the illusion of windows, along with a very thick crimson carpet on the floor. Three handsome Victorian-style couches of very dark wood with thick velvet upholstery lay in different places around the room. There were side tables sporting cut-crystal vases, and at the back of the room was a tall set of arched French double doors leading to another room.

Troy stood for a second mesmerized by the fact that this room was so very different from any of the other rooms he had been in. The craftsmen ship that went into the making of these items within the room was amazing. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard someone come up behind him.

"Interesting isn't it?" A voice said behind him.

Troy jumped and turned to look into the eyes of one of the women from the conference type room. She was glaring at him. Her glare wasn't as piercing as the woman named Onyx but it still sent a chill down his spine.

"What are you doing out of the room?" She asked.

"I was...I..."

"You were disobeying my Hikari's direct order," the woman informed him, a faint accent in her voice.

_How did she know? _Troy thought.

"I was hungry. I need to eat something." He said, trying hard to hide his slight fear of the woman with the cold eyes.

"The dining room is downstairs but you aren't going anywhere." Veronique put out her hand and stopped him as he tried to step forward.

Troy looked into her eyes.

"If you pull anything, we will know about it." Veronique said.

"I'm not afraid of you." Troy said, trying not to stutter.

"You should be." Veronique said and snapped her fingers once.

With that Damus appeared behind her, overshadowing her slightly and glaring down at their 'guest'. Troy didn't really like the look of this man. His blue eyes were icy and made him feel cold. He knew than that this was going to be harder then he first thought.

"Damus and I will escort you down to the dining hall tonight for dinner. Until than you will remain in the room or else." Veronique said.

"Or else what?"

Veronique turned to Damus. "Would you like to explain?"

The mage nodded before speaking. His voice was deep and Troy could hear the magical power within it. "Should you disobey orders again, your head will be severed from your body and mounted on Ony-sama's wall as a reminder to anyone else foolish enough to test her patience."

* * *

Troy sat at the large dinning table feeling quite angry. He hadn't been escorted down by just one or two people, but by four. Damus, Veronique, Gartic and Daragon had all walked him down from his room. The room he sat in now was much different from the other room where he had first met all of these people.

Instead of having the great windows that the meeting room contained, this room was completely enclosed. The four walls were painted a soft, sandy color, with very dark wood trim where the walls met the ceiling. Hanging from the wood trim were great swags of crimson velvet, hung in smooth, even waves around the perimeter of the ceiling. The ceiling itself was high and arched, the polished beams of dark wood exposed. Hanging from the center of the ceiling, from a large, circular wood carving that held the ends of the beams together, was an enormous chandelier of crystal and gold. All of the candles in it where lit, making the room seem to sparkle slightly. Troy wondered briefly how they had lit the candles, as the chandelier hung at least ten feet above the table. Certainly they didn't have any monsters that tall?

The table, which could comfortably seat at least twenty people, was hidden beneath an expensive-looking white tablecloth with gold embroidery around its edges. The legs of the table, however, revealed that it was a very dark reddish wood, probably mahogany. The chairs matched it, all heavy and ornately carved with red velvet covers on the seats.

Troy sat quietly at the table, in the seat Veronique had indicated to him. Veronique sat at the head of the table, like she did in the other room. Gartic, one of the blond Elves, sat to her right. Sarah and Celtos had joined them a few moments ago. Sarah had settled herself next to Gartic, which placed Celtos between herself and Troy. Daragon sat on Troy's other side. Across from him were three more chairs. Damus occupied one while the other two remained empty. At the end of the table next to Damus was also an empty seat, presumably where Onyx would sit when she arrived. Troy kept glancing around the room, but only received cold glares each time he looked at one of the room's other occupants. He remained quiet until he heard footsteps in the hall. He turned his head in time to see Kate walk in. He smiled at the young woman but his smile faded when he saw the blonde man behind her.

Troy examined the man carefully. The man moved with a certain arrogance, the type that one saw in one used to fighting and winning. Dressed in tight leather breeches, boots, and a loose shirt, the man could almost have passed as human – except for the fact his eyes were the color of topaz stones. He carried a broadsword on his hip, and as he pulled out a chair for Kate Troy caught a glimpse of the calluses on his hands. Clearly the sword was not just for show.

Kate sat across from Troy, which put her next to Damus, the tall man with indigo hair. The blond man sat down on her other side. Kate, who had been smiling up until this point, glanced to the head of the table. Her smile faded when she saw the glare she was getting from her Yami. Kate stared defiantly at the tall woman for a moment, but when Veronique continued to glare, Kate dropped her eyes and began fussing with her napkin. The blond man gave the Yami an angry look before turning back to face the other side of the table and addressing Sarah.

"Sa-sama, when is dinner being served?"

"Once Mirai and the rest of today's kitchen staff finish cooking it, Neo," the brown-haired woman answered patiently, shaking out her napkin.

"Mirai is cooking? On second thought, I may skip my evening meal - "

Damus, leaning forward in his chair, pointed his finger at Neo and shot a large purple spark at the blond man. The spark singed the swordsman's cheek, and Neo leapt from his chair with a yelp. Troy tried not to jump at the sight of the sparks but than remembered that there were a lot of strange things happening here.

"My sister's cooking is fine, thank you very much, Neo."

"Provided she does not use majic, certainly, Damus-san," deferred the blond man, quickly sitting down again.

"Not after the last time, she hasn't used majic in the kitchen since," remarked Celtos with the faintest trace of a snicker. Laughter rippled briefly around the table, heightened when Sarah added 'yes, but don't mention suckling pigs to her!'

Kate sat quietly, not laughing at all and avoiding all eye contact with everyone except Troy who she occasionally glanced over at. Before the laughter could elevate further, they were distracted by the heavy double doors of the dining room opening. Troy twisted around in his chair, leaning it back onto its two rear legs, trying to see beyond the doors. Through the gap came sailing the most peculiar sight yet – a small, floating monster, barely three feet tall, roughly round, and covered with a thick, shaggy coat of brown hair. Enormous green eyes seemed to take up half of the entire body, and it was carrying a silver serving tray with a cover in its heavy green claws.

The sight of a flying peculiarity carrying a serving tray was enough to make Troy jump – however, as he had been leaning his chair onto two legs, that was enough to send both him and the chair toppling backwards onto the wood floor. Kate tried standing up to help him but was instantly reseated when Damus' long hand applied pressure to her shoulder. Sarah, who rose quietly from her seat to accept the tray from the flying... thing, hardly spared him a glance as she relieved the flying creature of its burden and set the platter on the table. Celtos, who was seated next to Troy, rose from his seat and pulled the human up by the back of his shirt before setting his chair upright as well.

"Expect the unexpected," the Elf offered with a slightly wicked grin, settling himself back next to Sarah as Mirai danced into the room carrying a platter of steaming vegetables.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **

Disclaimer in the Previous chapters.

Now I must say that Onyx and S are now my co-authors. This story is not entirely mine now.

* * *

After all the food was placed upon the table, the occupants dug in. Everyone ate and chatted. Troy and Kate were the only ones to remain silent. It wasn't until a loud bell began to sound that silence was heard and silverware was dropped. All of the residents of the village leapt to their feet and Celtos' chair crashed to the floor, followed shortly by Troy's chair, although that one still contained its occupant. Over the crashing of chairs came another sharp pop, and looking up, Troy found that Onyx had appeared behind her seat at the table.

"All monsters to me!" She shouted, her voice ringing above the sudden eruption of noise from the outside. "The dragons!" And with that she vanished again.

There was a volley of pops in the room, and Troy covered his head with his hands. When he looked up again, everyone except Kate had vanished. Kate still remained seated and looked un-phased by the noise as well as the sudden appearance of the Yami. He watched her stand up slowly and move around the table to his side before holding out her hand.

"Come on." She said softly.

Troy took her hand and was pulled up. When he got to his feet he stared at her. She looked slightly depressed but he didn't care. He had a mission and he was going to complete it without emotional attachments. Kate let go of his hand and left the room. Quickly he followed after her as she moved gracefully down the hall. She turned into the room where he had been dropped on the floor earlier. He stopped as he looked out the large windows into the village.

It was night in the village outside, but there were fires lit around the homes in standing torches. By that flickering light cast by burning cottages, he could see a pair of enormous beasts. Dragons! One, an enormous, silvery-blue creature, was standing with its long neck reared back, shrieking in fury. Further away, a smaller, thinner creature; this one jet-black and almost invisible in the night was spitting balls of fire from its mouth, aiming them at the white dragon. On the ground, tiny figures, people and monsters could be seen racing back and forth, attempting to retrain the two dragons. An explosion of blue-black light struck the black dragon, stunning it. The white dragon relaxed slightly and quietly submitted to a man in heavy armor, who was wielding something that appeared to be a large horn.

Troy stood in one place for the longest time. He was stunned. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. As he thought about it, he figured maybe these dragons would be of assistance later on. He would keep that in mind.

"Interesting creatures they are." Kate said as she leaned against the wooden window frame, watching Daragon lead the dragon away.

"How many dragons do you have here?"

Kate thought for a moment, her eyes never moving from the village outside. "Not sure. Have to ask Daragon or Dhan."

"Dhan?"

"Yeah, he's the dragon master." Tapping lightly on the glass, she pointed out the heavily armored man who was leading away the silvery dragon. Many of the other monsters had gathered around the other dragon, and were busy placing chained collars on its neck.

Troy looked over at the young woman. His eyes moved slowly from her face to the pendants that hung around her neck from two silver chains. The first pendant was a greenish sort of stone with white swirls. It was in the shape of a heart and Troy couldn't figure out exactly what it was. The other Troy glared at, even though there was no point in giving the stone dirty looks. The pendant was exactly like the one that hung around the blonde man Neo's neck. It was an oval-shaped topaz and made him wonder what connection the two might have.

"What are those?" Troy asked, pointing to the gems.

Kate looked over at him before taking the pendants in her hand. "Oh, my pendants. This green one is malachite and this other one is topaz."

"Oh. They're very nice looking." Troy said.

"Yeah, very nice." She answered, letting them go and straightening up. "Want the tour?"

Troy just looked at her for a second before answering. "Sure."

The two left the room and began the tour of the house.

* * *

Infuriated, Daragon gave the chain around the neck of Rojaron, the Red Eyes Black Dragon, a fierce yank, pulling the massive creature back to the cave where it usually lived. Working with him was a grey-skinned man in armor, by the name of Gaia, as well as an Elf identical to Gartic.

Despite the incredible strength Daragon had, due to his half-dragon blood, it took all of them to lead the struggling creature back to its cave. A short distance away, Dhan, the Lord of Dragons, was playing a tune on his flute to lead the more willing Sapphiris, a Blue Eyes White Dragon, back to her own enclosure, which was in the opposite direction. Dian Keto, the Cure Master, was darting around the fire-scorched area, tending to any monsters that had been injured too severely to heal themselves. With him were Sarah and Damus, both of whom had enough majic to offer help with the healing. Celtos was studying the damage to the homes and buildings near where the dragons had been fighting with a grim expression on his face. Repairing the damage done by the dragons would take time and a great deal of work. Many of the small houses that the monsters of the Village lived in had been struck directly by the blasts of the dragons and annihilated instantly, and many more had caught fire from stray sparks.

Frowning, Celtos turned back to report to Sarah just as one of the thatch-roofed houses collapsed behind him. Rolling his eyes, the Elf made another note on the sheet of parchment he was carrying and stomped off to check the Village's available lumber supplies. The girl grimaced and returned to bandaging the arm of the blue-skinned female elf in front of her.

"Sometimes, Mysti, I regret making Celtos the one responsible for Village upkeep... especially since it's my Yami that insists on keeping those damn dragons here." The Mystical Elf frowned slightly, but didn't respond. The deep wound in her arm, caused by a flying chunk of wood, was too painful for her to focus on speaking.

* * *

"Daragon!" Glancing up, the half-dragon acknowledged Onyx's call with a nod as the tall Yami slowed to a walk next to him, glaring briefly at the black dragon towering above them. She acknowledged Gaia and the Elf, Garrus, by name, before turning back to Daragon. There was a bleeding gash on her forehead that rained blood into her left eye, but the wound was healing quickly and closed itself even as he watched.

"This has to stop."

"I know, Master."

"Although I realize these two are not natural allies, I notice that there is no bloodshed between Azul and Rojaron. Any ideas?"

Daragon shook his head slightly as he and the others led the dragon into the cave where it usually lived and began fastening their chains to heavy rings in the wall.

"None, Master."

Onyx frowned slightly and shook her head.

"Do what you can, Daragon. I just realized we left Troy up at the house alone."

And with that, she popped out, leaving the three monsters to finish securing the massive beast.

* * *

Finally they finished inside with the tour. Troy hadn't been shown a few of the rooms and it made him wonder what they might be hiding on this majical compound.

"Well, it's late and you probably need sleep so I'll escort you to your room." Kate said as she made her way to the stairs.

"I am pretty tired." He said faking a yawn.

Troy grinned as he followed the young woman up the stairs. She opened the doors and moved to her side of the corridor before walking over to the first door on the right. She stood there and waited for Troy to enter his room and close the door before entering her own. She couldn't help but feel terrible. This had been the worst day of her life. She started for her bedroom behind the two French doors.

The majority of the room was dominated by a king-sized four-poster bed with velvet curtains around it and a canopy, made from alternating panels of navy blue and hunter green velvet. The bed itself was dark oak, a rich, red-gold colored wood. The carpet on the floor was a very thick navy blue, with faint silver threads in it that made it glitter slightly as she moved. The remaining furniture in the room, a large blanket chest at the foot of the bed, a couch along one wall, two large chests of drawers and a door leading to a walk-in closet, were all polished dark oak. The walls had a cream-colored undercoat with hunter green daubed on over it, giving a nicely three-dimensional look. Last but not least, a crystal chandelier hung from the high, vaulted ceiling, at the center point of the arching rafters some fifteen feet above. The chandelier had gold trim, making the entire room seem to glitter

Kate began to undress, pulling off her heavy boots first and letting them hit the floor with a loud thud. She unbuttoned her pants, removing them and her shirt before throwing on a silky nightgown that fell to about mid-thigh. It was soft and a light green color that made her eyes shine a little brighter. The straps where just thin pieces of cloth that hung over her freckled shoulders. She had pulled back the blankets on her bed and was just about to hop into bed when a soft pop was heard and someone put their arms around her waist.

"You're back," she murmured softly, leaning against the person behind her.

"Nothing could keep me away." Neo replied softly, pulling her tightly against his powerful body.

Kate couldn't help it. She felt so much better having Neo next to her after a horrible day. He always listened, and always made an attempt at helping her. Sometimes it didn't work out that well, but afterwards, she always realized that it was the thought that counted. While Kate was lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize Neo was slowly starting to tickle her sides.

"Neo!" She cried out with a laugh.

He grinned and kept tickling her until she was almost out of breath and begging for mercy. He stopped and let her catch her breath before moving around to the front so they were face to face.

"You made my day." She whispered when she could finally breathe.

"I know." He whispered in her ear making her shiver.

"Come on Neo, I think we need sleep." She said before moving away and hopping into the bed.

* * *

Troy waited a few minutes until he heard the girl's door close before he reopened his slowly and peered out. No one was in the corridor; the only movement was the flicker from the torch lights. Slowly Troy made his way out the door. When he turned back to it in order to close it, he felt a chill run down his spine and froze. Someone was behind him. He felt a cold tickle at the edge of his throat and tensed instinctively – whoever it was had a knife at his throat. When he heard the dark chuckle, his stomach twisted in fear but that fear was a sick pleasure to him.

"Having fun?"

The question, pitched low and very close to his ear, had a deadly undertone of steel to it. Onyx leaned her body a little closer to his own, and he could feel her tight against his back. It might have proven arousing under different circumstances, but not when he had a knife to his throat. Especially not a knife in the hands of someone who most likely would not hesitate to use it.

"I.... beg your pardon, but I forgot something in the dining room."

"Such as?" The knife dug a little deeper and Troy closed his eyes, expecting to feel his throat opened any second.

"Your sanity, perhaps? Your sense of self-preservation?"

Troy refrained from answering at that point, realizing that that was the safest thing to do. When she received no answer, the Yami seized his shoulder and easily spun him around, throwing him backwards into the wall next to his door. She was on him again in a split second, one arm against his chest, the other holding the knife's edge to his throat. Half of her face was stained crimson and black with dried blood, and without a wound present on her he wondered whose blood it was. Troy tensed slightly, preparing to push her away, and felt the blade cut into his skin, a warm trickle of blood start down his neck, and mentally berated himself. No good soldier would be killed like this, not before completing his mission.

Astoundingly, the dark woman took a half-step away from him, giving him enough room to breathe. The knife was withdrawn, and he could see his own blood glittering ruby-bright on its edge.

"This is your last warning," she informed him.

He could see her eyes darkening slightly, and the air around them seemed to be growing darker as well, as though all the torches were failing at once. Suddenly, a force like a physical blow caught him in the center of his chest, hurling him back through the door of his room. He landed hard on his back in the middle of the floor, the wind knocked out of him. He raised his head just in time to catch a glimpse of the woman, laughing horrifically, before the door slammed shut of its own accord.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

**Disclaimer see previous chapters.**

* * *

Kate slept well that night, but Neo was restless. He lay in bed beside the young woman, thinking to occupy himself in lieu of sleeping.

_There's something about that man that I just don't like, _Neo thought wearily to himself. _There's something very off about this Troy character._

Kate rolled over in her sleep, snuggling closer to the man. The swordsman wrapped his arms around her with a sigh, pulling her tight against him. He rested his head against hers, feeling her breath against his bare chest every time she exhaled. It wasn't long after that Neo dozed off to the feel of her breathing and the sound of her steady heartbeat.

The next morning, Onyx woke everyone in the corridor with a loud bang on each door.

"Out of bed, all of you! Training in twenty minutes, than repairs to the village!"

Kate groaned as she rolled over, hitting something hard. She opened her eyes quickly when she felt light kisses being placed on her face.

"Neo!" She squealed before he captured her lips with his.

"Morning Kojika." He said softly as he looked into her hazy green eyes.

"Morning." She echoed, swiping a stray strand of hair from her face.

He grinned before kissing her again, making her giggle.

"Neo," She finally said. "We have to get up before Onyx yells."

"Let her." He murmured as he kissed her again.

"Neo, out of bed, NOW!" Onyx's voice boomed from the corridor. For having a relatively soft, albeit deep, voice most of the time, she could nearly roar when she had reason.

Neo groaned to himself as he sat up and let the girl go. Kate stood up before quickly changing out of her nightie and into her usual, tight black pants with a light green shirt that hugged her frame slightly. Neo eyed her for a second before grinning and swinging his well-toned legs over the edge of the bed. Kate walked over to her closet and came back out with a number of shiny metal objects.

Dumping the pile of metal on the bed with a great deal of clattering, Katie glared again at the sword-wielding mage. Groaning, the blond man rolled slightly to the side so the armor would not land on him, and Katie began sifting through the mess of armor on the bed. Plucking out the lighter of the two mail shirts, she wriggled it over her head.

Breast plates and back plates, shoulder guards, and several lighter, shaped pieces for the upper and lower arms and legs, all lay on the bed in a jumble, hers and Neo's alike. Katie smiled slightly as she picked up her breastplate. Specially made for her by Elven-smiths, the armor was incredibly strong and light. The majority of it had been colored to a deep, sapphire-blue, although in the center of the chest plate, etched in silvery lines, was the image of a wolf's head, her insignia. Around the arms and neck of the chest plate, as well as the bottom edge, where two-inch wide strips of glittering silver steel, uncolored, leaving a distinctive edge. The rest of the plates were designed quite similarly, sapphire-blue centers with silver edges.

Watching her from the bed, Neo permitted himself a faint smile. He would have to get into his own armor soon enough. His own armor was no simple affair, and was not of lightweight Elven-make either. Swirls of sage-green and navy blue covered the chest plate, while the shoulder guards, deep blue with gold trim, each glinted with brilliant red and gold stones somewhat like rubies. The monster was rumored to have picked the stones up in a land a great distance away before he had come to serve Onyx as his Master and Katie as a lover.

Their sword belts, Katie's black leather trimmed with silver and Neo's a plain band of brown leather, still hung in the closets, although their swords lay within easy reach of the bed, in brackets set into the wall. Pulling her cloak on, Katie walked to the closet to retrieve her sword belt before returning to the bed to get her sword.

As she placed her sword in the sheath she looked back over at Neo. The blond man hadn't moved an inch aside from his eyes.

"Come on, lazy. Get up before she yells again." She said as she walked over to the bedside again.

Neo grinned before grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her towards him. "Oh, but Kojika..."

He kissed her lips softly before moving to her jaw.

"Neo, I mean it." She whispered, giggling lightly.

"Kojika." He whispered letting the word roll off his tongue.

Kate leaned against him. "It's not fair, you know what that does to me."

He grinned. "Of course I know. That's why I...."

"Neo! NOW!" Onyx's voice boomed through the doors once more.

Kate cringed and before she could blink, Neo was up and dressed in his armor, tightening his sword belt around his waist with his cloak flowing from his shoulders.

He took off out the door without another word. Kate walked out of her room giggling and into the corridor.

"You're not much help." Onyx rumbled, glaring at the girl. The Yami was still slightly annoyed with her.

Dressed in armor of identical style to Katie's, close-fitting and light, the Yami was a commanding presence. Her armor was emerald-green where Katie's was blue, and in the center of her chest the silhouette of a rampant stallion in gold. That was the insignia of Onyx's ancient past, and one she bore proudly even now. The trim, which was silver on Katie's armor, was gold on Onyx's, and the hilt of her sword was gold and set with emeralds. Onyx, however, was carrying a shield as well, tall enough to reach to her waist when she set it's point on the ground.

The light-green door behind the Yami opened at that point and Sarah and Celtos walked out. Sarah, who was not a morning person, was carrying a cup of steaming tea in one hand and blinking wearily. While Sarah was dressed identically to Onyx, also carrying a shield, Celtos was wearing a pair of tight brown leather breeches and a white tunic, belted at the waist, and carrying a tall wooden staff in one hand. Damus emerged from Onyx's black door a moment later, dressed almost identically to Celtos and carrying a staff with him as well.

Once they were all ready, everyone proceeded down the stairs, but Kate hesitated. She still wasn't feeling good when it came to going and training with Onyx, especially when the older woman was angry with her. Kate turned to her right when she saw the movement from the door to the left of her own. She watched as Troy emerged looking tired and uneasy. She cocked her head to the left at the sight of the thin wound on his neck.

"Morning, Troy. What happened to you?" She asked, pointing to the wound.

"Slipped shaving," he lied. "Nothing to worry about."

"Oh." She said quietly.

He looked her over, admiring the armor for a moment before speaking.

"What's going on?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Training time." Kate said, not sounding overly thrilled.

"But..." Troy blinked. "It's only seven in the morning."

"Six forty three to be exact. It's how we start our day." She began to walk away.

Quickly Troy followed, putting on his boots as he walked, which forced him to hop awkwardly. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Know the exact time?" He was interested in finding out everything about these people in order to complete his mission.

The girl just shrugged as she walked out of the house. "Just something I picked up, I guess."

Troy walked next to her eyeing the sword that hung from her belt. It shone a bright silvery color that reflected the sun as it hit. The handle had stones of emerald and topaz embedded inside it. He wondered how well she could use it.

"What kind of training are you doing here?" He asked.

She glanced over at him. "Different kinds. Sword training, hand to hand combat, staff fighting, you know, things of that nature."

He caught her eye as he spoke again. "You train for battle?"

She nodded. "You never know when someone might try to destroy your home. We're prepared for just about anything."

"Oh." Troy took in his surroundings.

He took in the sight of a few burned buildings from the night before, and the deep caves at either end of the Village where the dragons slept. They walked on until they came to this large area where most of the monsters were standing around an open circle. Some were actually in the middle of different forms of fighting while others watched. Kate stopped and turned to Troy,

"We train for everything. You never know when someone is going to come at you."

With that she turned, pulling the sword quickly from its sheath and blocking the blow Neo was throwing at her. Troy's eyes widened. He hadn't been prepared for that attack. Neo grinned at the girl.

"Very good. Do you think you can beat me today?" He asked.

"With pleasure." She growled playfully.

As the two of them began to fight, a grey-skinned man with blond hair walked forward to Onyx and Sarah, leading two horses with him, both wearing saddles and bridles. One was a small, silvery-grey horse with a light build and long, slender legs, built for speed. The other, taller and heavier, was jet-black with a very long mane and tail. Troy, who assumed Onyx would have taken the dark stallion, was quite surprised when the dark woman quietly mounted the small grey, leaving her light to swing easily into the saddle of the black. The two women tied their horses' reins up short and dropped them on the fronts of their saddles. Steering with their weight and legs, they rode the horses over to an isolated patch of well-trodden ground before drawing their swords and raising their shields.

Damus and Celtos selected a grassy circle not far from Neo and Katie's match and leveled their staffs at each other, readying for a good battle. All around him, he could see monsters of all descriptions pairing or grouping off. Some were wielding swords, others staffs, and some even held palms full of crackling majic. Onyx stood up in her stirrups and called out a few words in a language Troy didn't understand. The moment the last word left her mouth, the peaceful Village could have been mistaken for a war zone. Dozens upon dozens of matches were taking place at once, and the dull thudding of staffs, the clash-clang of swords, and the shouted incantations all combined to create a roar of sound.

In front of him, Neo backed off slightly, allowing Katie the freedom to attack him. She did so immediately, a hard blow towards his left side. Neo swung his sword around, point down and his hands over his shoulder, and blocked. A fast twist and he was striking at her head, but the girl ducked under the blow and came at him again, straight on. Neo ducked fast, hitting the ground and rolling, coming up just in time to block a blow to his neck. Katie swung again, this time down against his head, but was blocked once again. Neo pushed back hard with his own sword, throwing the girl back two paces, and used the time to leap to his own feet.

Troy, watching from the sidelines, had to admit that he was good. Then again, Katie was proving herself fairly well, too. Neo, though... Neo was excellent. His speed, his coordination, all of them were amazing. And by what Troy had overheard, he wasn't even the best swordsman in the Village.

A short distance away, he could see Damus and Celtos, both shirtless and already gleaming with sweat, in the middle of a staff fight. The Elf moved almost blindingly fast, many of his movements little more than a blur to human eyes. The mage had less speed, but more grace, and was using his agility to its fullest extent.

Looking to Onyx and Sarah, he found that the two women were practicing sword fighting from horseback. Sarah had the advantage of height and power on her black stallion, but Onyx's sleek grey was more agile and had the advantage of speed. Both women were using shield and blade with ease born of experience.

A sizzling noise near his ear caught Troy's attention again, and he turned his head in time to see a ball of blue-white majic miss his elbow by inches. It shot by him, striking the chest of a blue-skinned man with wild looking black hair. A flash of light surrounded him, and a moment later, a duck with a faint bluish tinge to its feathers was standing where the man had been. Following the course of the majic ball backwards, Troy was not surprised to find Mirai had been its source.

Turning his attention back to Katie and Neo, he found that they were standing only inches from each other, their blades crossed and jammed between them. Katie, breathing hard, spoke to Neo with her voice low, barely hissing the words.

"You're holding back on me."

He didn't answer, which seemed as good as a reply to the blond woman. With an angry growl, she gave him a violent shove that sent him reeling back three paces. Racing to him, she swung her blade into his side while he was still off-balance, sending him to the ground on his side. He was back on his feet immediately, though, their blades clashing as they met.

"Stop. Holding. Back!"

"If that's what you really want."

Throwing her back with a savage blow, the swordsman began striking again. She met him blow for blow, and their swords clashed so hard that sparks flew. Neo aimed a blow at her neck that nearly connected, but Katie rolled her shoulder at the last second and his sword struck her shoulder guard. The armor rang like a gong and Katie stumbled to one knee, but drove a solid blow into the armor on the back of his thigh. His knee buckled and Neo fell onto one leg, and a second blow to his chest sent him onto the ground on his back. Within the space of time it took to blink, he found the point of Katie's sword at his throat.

"My match," the girl informed him.

A short distance away, a horse's ringing neigh attracted Troy's attention. Looking over, he saw Sarah's horse rear up, striking at Onyx's shoulder with his forefeet. The Yami, caught off guard, was thrown from her horse and onto the ground. Almost immediately, there was a short cry of "Master!' from Damus, and a pained yelp. Turning over, he saw that the mage was on the ground, a handsome bruise blooming across the side of his jaw.

Back in the horse ring, Onyx rolled over and got to her feet. Her left arm, covered with the shield, hung uselessly at her side. Her shoulder had been dislocated. Leaving her horse and her light where they stood, she stormed over to where Damus lay and used her right arm to haul the mage to his feet.

"Damus, keep your attention on your opponent." Her voice, low and harsh, carried easily to everyone around her. "If you go into battle more concerned about your bedmate than yourself, than it's not a fight, it's a suicide mission."

Picking up the mage's staff from the ground, she slapped it against his chest. Walking over to Celtos, she silently unfastened the leather bindings that held the shield to her arm, letting the heavy metal drop to the ground. Lifting her limp left arm with her right hand, she held it towards Celtos until he grasped her arm. Setting her good hand on his shoulder, she pulled back until the appalling crunch of a bone realigning was heard.

Troy cringed at the sound and turned his attention back to Kate and Neo once more. The girl still had the sword pointed at his throat and was panting slightly as she moved it.

"Get up and take off your armor." She said.

Neo grinned. "But Kojika, we just started the day. Isn't it too soon...."

"Quiet you!" She said trying not to laugh as she sheathed her sword.

Neo jumped to his feet and began peeling off his armor, dropping it to the ground with numerous thuds as Kate did the same with her own. Troy watched curiously, wondering exactly what the swordsman had meant by his comment. He looked from the girl to the swordsman and back again. There was something between them, he hadn't quite figured out yet but he had a good sense of what it might be and for some reason it angered him slightly. When all the armor had hit the ground, the young woman stood ready. The swordsman grinned at her for a moment before also standing ready.

Smirking, Neo adjusted his weight. Then, in the blink of an eye, he charged. The change from stillness to speed was so fast that Troy missed it entirely – he was not aware Neo had started moving until the monster was halfway across the ring. The blond man had thrown his first punch before his foot had landed, using his momentum to increase the force of the blow. It caught an unprepared Katie in the shoulder, driving her back several paces. She rebalanced quickly, aiming a sideways kick at his right side. He dodged sideways, but it connected regardless, sending the man to the dirt on his left elbow and hip. Troy thought, for a moment, that the swordsman was defeated, but Neo was back on his feet in an instant, crouching low and assessing his opponent.

This time, it was Katie that moved first, aiming a high kick at the man's shoulder. He dodged, using his speed to his advantage. Ducking under the end of the kick, he aimed a punch at the girls stomach. It connected solidly, knocking the wind out of the girl and knocking her backwards. Troy thought for certain the match had been won then, but much to his amazement, the girl simply caught herself on her hands, turning over in a flip. She landed in a crouch, her knees bent and her fingertips resting on the ground, her mouth open as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Close your mouth, Kojika, you're giving me ideas!" Neo's taunt rang from the opposite corner of the ring.

Katie snapped her mouth shut, anger coloring her face, and charged. She caught Neo around the midriff and knocked him on his back, straddling him, but the monster seized her shoulders and flipped them over in a practiced move, pinning the girl to the ground. He clasped both her slender wrists in one hand, his other hand on her throat.

"My match," he said simply. Katie nodded as best she could over his hand, and the man rolled off her, satisfied.

"Katie!" Onyx's voice cut sharply across the ring and the girl winced.

Picking up her shield from the ground, the Yami walked over, sliding her arm, now healed, back through the straps and tightening the shield down. Leaning over the girl's prone form, she treated the blond to a faint smirk.

"Lesson _One_. Never. Attack. In. Anger." The clear, biting distinction of each word made the girl wince again.

Calmly, the Yami extended her hand to the girl. Not wishing to anger her further, Katie took the callused hand and allowed the Yami to pull her to her feet. Nodding briefly to the girl, Onyx walked back to her horse and mounted in one fluid motion. Standing up in her stirrups, she glanced over the battlefield, nodding slightly to herself when she found that all of the matches were done.

"All right!" she called, her voice ringing clearly over the field.

"Winners, log your victories! The rest of you, get changed, get breakfast, and report back in an hour to start repairs to the Village. Dismissed!!"

It was amazing, really, how quickly almost two hundred monsters could disperse from a field at a single order. Troy stepped back, allowing the monster that had briefly been a duck to walk by, and found himself next to Neo. The blond man smirked at him by way of greeting.

"Troy."

"Neo, right?"

A nod answered him, and Troy turned away, intending to start back towards the house. However, he heard Katie's footsteps behind him and turned slightly. The girl was standing beside Neo, and the monster had caught her elbow in one hand, leaning close to whisper in her ear. Straining his hearing,

Troy could just catch what the monster was saying. "... make that mistake up tonight, Kojika. I'll give you a little _personal _training."

It was not the words themselves that were so suggestive, but the tone they were spoken in. The blond monster's voice was thick with lust and desire. It made Troy's blood boil slightly. He shook the thoughts from his head and followed everyone inside. Most of the monsters headed for this building off to the right before the mansion but Kate, Neo, and most of the others from the night before headed towards the mansion. Troy followed a few steps behind the two blondes and noticed that Neo kept leaning closer to whisper in her ear. Sometimes she would smile while other times she blushed. Either way it annoyed Troy.

_I can't let this mess with my mission._ He thought. _Damnit, why does she have to be so good looking?_

When they all got into the mansion they went directly to the dining hall.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note:

Disclaimer in previous chapters.

Just a heads up, the chapters ahead are going to have violence and possible some sexual content.

* * *

Once back in the mansion, Troy took his usual seat, but found that Dar wasn't entering the room. He felt a little better knowing that half dragon thing was not going to be next to him. Onyx, however, had settled at her place at one end of the table. Her cool, sweeping gaze took in everyone with perfect ease as she silently piled food onto her plate. Still dressed in her armor, her helmet resting on the table beside her plate, the Yami remained an intimidating presence. Especially considering how sharp the knife was that she used to cut her ham. While she had gone directly to the dining hall, several of the others had gone to their rooms to change out of their armor and sweaty clothes.

Sarah, who had gone to change, came into the room a few moments later, her clothing already changed. Now instead of her armor, she wore black leather pants, high boots and a green tunic. She did not sit, but seized a few slices of bread, and, using them as plates, took eggs and ham before bolting back out the door with no more than a nod to her Yami. Celtos, who had not bothered to change, was having an animated discussion with Onyx at their end of the table.

"..have at least a dozen houses to rebuild, I'm afraid, Rojaron was very enthusiastic this time. Five more need repairs, and the bridge over the north stream was damaged. Just the handrails on the side, but we'd best repair those as well."

"I see. Lumber supplies?" Pouring herself another cup of tea, the Yami glanced up as Damus entered, nodding slightly to him as he took his seat.

"Lumber supplies are fine, Mistress, but our nails are running low and we need more thatching."

"Fine. Damus, take Cayenne, Mirai... err, perhaps not Mirai, but take your pick of the other mages – and start work with duplicating what supplies we have of nails and thatch."

"Aye, Mistress."

"Celtos, make sure the supplies are readied. Use the dragons to bring in trees for lumber, and once the mages are done with the duplicating, have them start shipping lumber in from the supply buildings. Let the warriors and the horse teams move it from the square to the house sites. Have the rest begin from there with assembly."

"As you command." The Elf continued to demolish the pile of food on his plate, and Troy quietly glanced at the bounty on the table. Eggs, fried and scrambled, great platters of ham and sausages, thick slices of fresh bread, great pats of yellow butter, pots of sweet jam, bowls of oats bran, pitchers of milk and wine, pots of sugar both bran and white, and a jug of molasses, which Damus was now spooning over his hot oat meal and milk. Feeling hungry despite his nerves, Troy quickly reached for the closest platter of eggs.

Troy kept glancing across the table at Kate as they ate their breakfast. He had been pretty amazed by her abilities and how well matched they were for Neo but what he couldn't get out of his mind was the thought of this young woman being intimate with this...this monster. Though he wasn't entirely sure if that was really what was going on, he had a pretty good idea. The way they glanced at each other, the way he spoke to her, the way he touched her. It all made his blood boil and he hadn't even been there a full day yet.

_Concentrate on the mission, not on your hormones. _He thought as he ate.

"Troy!" Onyx's sharp bark nearly made him choke on his fork. When he was able to breathe once again, he looked up at the dark woman.

"Yes, Onyx?"

"You'll be working under Celtos."

"Mistress, flattered though I am, he's really not my type."

Several other people around the table burst out laughing at that comment, and Damus accidentally spat out some of his toast. Onyx sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose as though to ward off a headache.

"As I was saying..." the Yami cut in, and the laughter quieted to a few suppressed chuckles, "you will be working under _the command of_ Celtos. It will be heavy labor, largely moving timbers and helping to set the frames for the houses." A pause, and the woman smirked. "Are you able?"

Everyone around the table casually went back to eating as Troy sputtered indignantly. Truly, this woman could insult anyone!

"Yes ma'am." He said before going back to his breakfast.

Even though Kate hadn't liked the way Onyx had spoken to the man, she couldn't help but let the smile creep across her face. When they finished, everyone rose from their seats. Onyx vanished briefly, but reappeared less than a minute later, her armor swapped for a pair of black leather breaches, high black boots, a long-sleeved black shirt, and a black leather vest. Her hair was braided and pinned around her head like a crown. Troy's eyes were almost immediately drawn to the only spark of color in her outfit – an oval emerald in a gold setting, hanging over her breasts on a fine gold chain.

"Well," the Yami snapped, her eyes sparking with mirth, "what are you all standing around for? Get moving!"

Damus laughed at that, pressed a fast kiss to the Yami's mouth, and grinned at her before bolting for the staircase. "Race you."

Onyx rolled her eyes and popped out. The others followed Damus' course down the staircase, though at an admittedly slower pace. By the time they reached the Village center, all the monsters had already assembled to one end of the green. At the other end milled a heard of horses, probably a hundred in total. Sarah could be seen, sitting on her black stallion at the head of the heard. The same grey-skinned man that had lead Onyx and Sarah's horses too them was waiting next to her, sitting bareback on a dark purple horse with a bright gold mane and tail. Troy blinked twice, but the horse's colors didn't change. Shaking his head slightly, he wondered why he wasn't used to seeing things like this by now.

A screeching roar suddenly sounded overhead. Troy glanced up, then gave a startled cry, ducking instinctively. Although the monsters around him seemed quite unaffected, they were probably used to seeing a pair of silvery-white dragons gliding overhead. Troy, on the other hand, was still becoming accustomed to the fact that dragons even existed. Now, two dragons, both silver-scaled and blue-eyed, were touching down near the end of the Village. There was a figure sitting comfortably behind the head of each. Looking closer, Troy realized that Daragon was seated on the smaller of the two dragons – 'smaller' being a fairly relative term, as the dragon was still over forty feet tall – while a male in heavy armor sat on the neck of the other. In the sunlight, the armor looked to be made of bone, hard and pale. The two dragons obediently lowered their long necks to the ground, allowing the two monsters to dismount. Daragon stroked the nose of his dragon, briefly, as Onyx walked forward.

"We need trees," she announced to him without preamble.

"Good morning, Mistress. How many?"

"Good morning yourself, and about ten, if they're a good size." With no more than that, she turned and walked to the middle of the square, snapping off orders as she went. Under her direction, the monsters split easily into groups before vanishing in different directions. Daragon and the other man remounted the dragons, and took wing again. After a few moments, only Veronique, Katie, Sarah, Onyx and Troy were still standing in the green, next to the milling heard of horses. Several of the animals wore heavy leather harnesses, collars and breast plates, with long traces folded up and tied over their backs. They would be used for some sort of pulling work.

Within a few minutes, voices – one high and girlish, the other deep and harsh – could be heard. Around the corner of a nearby house came a floating pile of wooden planks, followed by Mirai, the blond she-mage, who was levitating the pile with her staff. Behind her came another pile of boards, controlled by the blue-skinned mage she had turned into a duck earlier that day. Clearly, he had not forgiven her for the incident, as he shouted at her every time her wood pile wobbled.

"Cayenne, behave! Or I'll turn you into a duck permanently!" Sarah, her tone scolding, glared at the mage as both piles of wood were taken by. She received a growl in response, which was dutifully ignored. The two stacks of lumber were set down next to the scorched ground that had once held the houses. The debris had been raked away earlier that day, leaving the ground smooth and ready for rebuilding.

Within a few minutes, a troop of monsters had reappeared, all heavily muscled and powerful. Warrior monsters, Troy recalled from Onyx's briefing that morning. Physically they were dangerous, that much was obvious, and most of them could wield weapons of some sort. However, those were only dangerous at close range. They could be dealt with easily enough by archers and spear throwers. Filing that away in his mind, he quietly joined the group when Celtos beckoned. A second later, a dozen or so horses came trotting around the corner, Sarah at their head. Despite his feelings, Troy found himself admiring the organization and skill of the Villagers. Holes were dug for the beams, which the horses helped to pull erect. Planks were positioned and nails driven in with solid hammer blows. The work, however easy on a powerful monster with plenty of experience, was difficult on Troy. By the end of half an hour, his shoulders and back were already protesting their exertion. Onyx, working beside her monsters, glanced at him.

"Back to work, outsider. You're not here for free!" The voice of the monster cut in from his other side, and Troy turned his fiercest glare on the man beside him. Heavily muscled, the man shook his grey beard and bared his prominent teeth at Troy.

"Manners, Kojikocy." Onyx's deadly-soft voice came from Troy's other side. "Troy is here as our guest." The monster, looking fearful, bowed deeply an immediately found work to do on the other side of the cabin. Troy glanced back at the dark-haired woman.

"Do you always have that effect on people?"

"Kojikocy isn't a person. He's one of my light's monsters, and therefore I have his complete subservience, as my light is submissive to me." A pause before she spoke again. "But frequently, yes, I do. Now, get back to work!"

"But my muscles - "

"You don't have to like it; you just have to endure it. Now, MOVE!" Her shout revealed her white teeth, and Troy saw, with a jolt of something like fear, that her canine teeth were longer and sharper than any human's teeth, almost like fangs.

This, and her shout, startled him more than the dragons had, and Troy leapt backwards. His foot caught a loose stone, sending him stumbling backwards into a board that one of the monsters was carrying over. Rubbing his sore head, the soldier staggered over to where Celtos was nailing a board into place.

"How do you do this day after day? I've only been doing this for half an hour, and already I feel ready to collapse." Hoping for a dismissal, he sent the Elf his most pleading look, knowing that the creature was a softer heart than most of the others.

"If you're looking for sympathy, you're in the wrong place. Staying here means earning your keep. Now, hold this board still so I can drive the nails straight."

Resigning himself to this unpleasant fate, Troy settled his hands against the rough wood and went back to his thoughts.

_They work hard, which means they are building strength. Archers, we'll need archers to take them. Any man taking them up close is as good as dead._

Being lost in his thoughts, Troy didn't notice Celtos move until the Elf yelled.

"Wake up!"

Troy jumped and came back to reality, looking over to see that Celtos had moved to the next section of wall. Quickly he stepped over and helped him with the next board, while looking around. He noticed off to the left that the other dark haired Yami, Veronique, was working. She was helping to fasten boards on the frame of another house while commanding a few of the other monsters around it. Troy assumed most of these were her monsters. He was watching Veronique so intently that he didn't see Celtos swinging the hammer. Celtos was forced to swing the hammer at an awkward angle to avoid Troy's hand, which was forming a loose half-circle around the nail.

The hammer hit the nail at an angle, striking it before slipping off and slamming right into Troy's hand, forcing it down and across the edge of the sharp, rough wood. The hard, unsanded edge ripped deep into his palm, embedding splinters and drawing blood. Troy yelped and jumped back, holding his bloody hand and cursing. None of the monsters except Celtos paid the injured man any mind, they all just kept working. The Elf stared at him with his face expressionless, neither upset nor amused.

Troy looked at him and growled softly in his throat before snapping, "Well, what are you going to do about this?"

Celtos laughed. "What am I going to do? I'm not going to do anything."

Troy continued to hold his hand as the blood began to run through his fingers and the pain intensified.

Shaking his head and giving an exasperated sigh, Celtos finally called out, "Dian."

In a snap the short healer appeared and began work repairing Troy's hand as the man stared in wonder.

_How does he do that?_ Troy wondered, looking at the healer.

Within minutes Troy's hand was healed, all the splinters lying on the ground at his feet. They had somehow been expelled from his hand during the healing process. The hand was still covered in dried blood, but it was healed. Celtos looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"Go and wash your hands. The last thing we need is your blood on the new buildings. Between the two stone pillars and take a right at the oak tree."

Troy went to where Celtos told him, grumbling the whole way about taking orders from an inferior monster. Following the Elf's directions, he found himself at a stone well in the center of the square. A couple of large metal basins were settled on the ground around it. A few were occupied by monsters wetting their heads to cool down. Kneeling down next to an unoccupied basin, Troy plunged his hands into the cool water and began scrubbing.

As he washed his hands, he caught sight of Katie. She had changed into a different pair of black breeches, almost knee high black boots, a light green tunic and her hair was pulled back and twisted onto the back of her head where it was pinned up. He had to stop for a second as he admired her from the distance but grumbled when he saw she was working beside Neo, though this didn't look like the same man he had seen each time at the table.

He was slightly shorter and he wore a green stone around his neck rather than a topaz one. Not to mention his outfit was completely the opposite of the one Troy had seen him wearing when he left the house. Than, from Kate's right came...Troy couldn't believe his eyes. Neo! The man he had seen this morning. He shook his head thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him as Neo walked up to Kate, kissed her cheek and walked off again. He blinked again, could there possible be two of them?

"TROY!" He heard someone yell, making him jump slightly and splash water in his lap.

He turned to see Celtos glaring at him and quickly returned to the elf to finish helping him with the boards. Throughout the day they worked and worked, rebuilding the destroyed houses and repairing the damaged ones. Ever now and than Troy would get a five or ten minute break, but it always seemed to be opposite of Kate.

He had finally figured out that she was the most naive of the four women, so it would be the best to stick with her in order to get information. After a while Troy figured that the only thing he'd be able to do tonight was sleep. His muscles ached too badly for anything else. He worked with everyone until four thirty when they had finished putting the last bit of thatch on the last roof and the last pane of glass in the last window. Troy was to the point of complete exhaustion until he saw Kate. He was about to walk up to her when Neo got there first, wrapping his arm around her waist. He growled slightly as he watched them walk towards the mansion together. Following after he reminded himself that the mission came first, not his hormones or need for a woman.

* * *

Onyx was a short distance away, as she always seemed to be, sitting cross-legged on a stone wall and talking with five others: Sarah, Celtos, Damus, Veronique, and her Elf, Gartic. Yet even as Troy watched, another Elf, completely identical to Gartic – even wearing the same clothing and the same pendant – walked up and joined the others. They spoke only for a moment after that, and Onyx silently rose before dismissing them.

Leaping on top of the stone wall, the Yami raised her voice to reach all the monsters in the Village. "Clean up! Dinner will be served at six-thirty!" Onyx called to all of the monsters before heading towards the house herself.

She stayed behind Troy, watching him the whole time. Veronique and the others, following behind Onyx, also kept their gazes on him. Troy could feel the eyes on his back and tried not to shiver. He walked into the mansion and went up the stairs to the corridor. He was just about to step through the door when he heard giggling. He stopped and peaked around the corner. What he saw made his blood pressure rise again.

Neo had Kate pinned against the wall with the weight of his body, and his lips were locked with the girl's. He had his fingers intertwined with hers as he held her arms against the wall. His lips trailed down, over her neck, hitting spots that made her giggle. He watched from around the corner as Kate finally moved her head.

"My room," she moaned.

Instantly Neo grabbed her, picking her up off her feet and taking her into the room. After all that work, that bastard still had the strength to carry her and do whatever was going to happen behind those doors? Troy continued to stare even as the door closed. He couldn't make himself move until he felt a cold chill.

"Is there a problem?"

Troy jumped and fell backwards into the corridor, turning to see Onyx standing over him. Any trace of humor that had been in her eyes had vanished, leaving her as cold and dangerous as before.

"N-no." He said.

Onyx's eyes flashed. She knew what he had seen and could tell what he was feeling.

"They are very much in love," she said, her voice low and cold.

Troy just stared at her.

"He would do anything for her." She walked past him, but a few feet away she paused for a moment and turned back. "And I mean, anything ." With that, she walked to the end of the corridor and to her own room, closing the door behind her.

Troy was startled and confused. He got up and raced to his room, leaning back against the door after he closed it.

_How the hell did she know? She can't read minds can she? SHIT! If she can read minds....no she can't, or she would have killed me already._

After convincing himself that she couldn't possibly know, Troy fell down on his bed and drifted off to sleep out of pure exhaustion.

* * *

At six fifteen Kate walked out of her room, her hair wet and wearing a new set of clothes. She walked into the corridor and met Veronique, who was chuckling slightly.

"Have fun?" Veronique asked with amusement in her voice.

Kate looked at her and smiled. "With Neo, always."

Neo came out of the bedroom with his hair also wet, clinging damply to the sides of his face. "Did I hear my name?"

Kate just smiled. "Yes, but don't worry, it wasn't anything bad."

"If it was, we would have waited for you to be here before saying it." Veronique said before laughing and taking off down the stairs for the dining hall.

Neo just rolled his eyes at the Yami before wrapping his arm around the young woman next to him.

"Let's go eat."

Once down in the dining hall, everyone became seated. Onyx looked over at Troy's empty chair than looked at the blonde girl sitting next to Neo. Her expression turned quickly from bemused to annoyed when she realized that the girl seemed completely unaware of the soldier's absence.

"Kai-chan, where is Troy?"

Kate's attention turned from Neo to Onyx. "He's not..." She looked at his empty chair. "Here."

Onyx gave an exasperated sigh. "Need I remind you that he is your responsibility? Go find him!"

Kate groaned before getting up and leaving the room. She went up the stairs and to Troy's door. She knocked lightly and waited for an answer.

* * *

Inside, Troy was asleep on the bed, his exhaustion bringing on dreams. He dreamt that the blonde girl had entered his room. She walked seductively across the floor to the bed, closing the distance between them. He was laying on the bed with his legs hanging over the edge. She crawled up on the bed and straddled him before running her hands down his shoulders and across his chest. It felt so real. He grinned at her before grabbing her arms and pulling her down for a kiss.

"Troy, Troy!" He heard her call out after he kissed her.

"Troy!"

He instantly woke up, opening his eyes he saw that Kate was in fact there with him and he had a death grip on her wrists. She wasn't happy, she was glaring at him.

"Troy! Let me go!" She yelled.

He let go of her wrists and instantly sat up. She wiped her mouth on her tunic sleeve. Troy looked startled. Had he just acted out his dream? Had she touched him in that way? Kate just glared at him.

"Dinner is ready." Quickly she left the room.

Troy rubbed the back of his neck before smirking. That had actually felt really good. Maybe when he took her and the pendants away from here, he could get more of that. He shook the thought form his head before heading downstairs. When Kate made it back to the dining hall she tried to look like nothing had happen. She took her seat and looked down at her plate. Neo glanced over at her after taking a bite of his food. Without moving his lips he spoke to her, mentally through the pendant.

Kojika, what's wrong?

Kate started eating, ignoring the question for a moment.

Kojika?

Veronique looked over at the girl with a raised eyebrow. "Kate, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kate said quickly.

Veronique didn't believe her, but she didn't pry either. She just looked at Onyx, who returned the look right before Troy walked into the room. When Katie tensed in her seat, Onyx frowned deeply. Reaching out with her mind, the Yami inquisitively brushed the surface of Troy's thoughts, as she had done many times since his arrival.

The soldier's thoughts were centered on Katie. Her frown deepening, Onyx glanced to her light, Celtos, and Damus in turn.

We have a problem, she informed them, using the pendants to transmit her thoughts to the other three.

What, another one? Sarah smirked around her spoon.

Yes. My quarters, after dinner, all of you.

As you command, came three identical replies. With a grim nod, Onyx spared one last glance at Troy before she returned to her meal.

* * *

After eating Troy went back upstairs to his room. He left the door cracked open ever so slightly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He couldn't help but think about kissing her. Quickly he thought more about the mission until he heard something strange coming from the corridor. He went over and peeked through the crack of the door. Kate and Neo had just entered the corridor. Neither of them had looked very happy and they were speaking...some strange language. Troy listened carefully but couldn't figure out what the two were saying.

Kate stopped in the middle of the corridor and faced Neo, throwing her arms in the air and shaking her hands as she spoke. Neo responded in the same language and kept holding his hands out to her. Now Troy was confused again. Kate had shown no signs of knowing another language earlier and now she spoke this as if she were born speaking it. What Troy didn't know was that the two were speaking in Elvish.

Although few monsters aside from those of Elf blood knew it, Damus was a master of languages and had taught it to them. Troy was their subject of conversation, as well as what had happened. Finally Kate gave a slight growl before walking into her room. Neo stood there for a second and looked over at Troy's door, catching the sight of it being open. He glared at the young man before walking over to the door and pushing it slightly open. Backlit by the torches of the corridor, he made an impressive silhouette. His eyes, now cold and furious, locked with Troy's.

"Touch her and I'm sure Ony-sama won't stop me from killing you." Neo growled as he stared Troy in the eye.

Troy just glared right back. "I give the girl what she wants."

Neo growled and was about to grab Troy when he heard his name called. "You're lucky, stranger."

Neo turned on his heels and headed back to the girl's room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Onyx, are you going to tell us what all of this is about?" Sarah demanded as she walked in to her darker half's room a few minutes later.

"In a moment. Sit, please." Motioning for Celtos to come in as well, the Yami settled herself next to Damus on the tan leather sofa. Celtos sat, frowning, in the loveseat, and Sarah, who still looked puzzled, sat quietly in his lap. The Elf automatically wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his broad chest. Onyx, ignoring them for the moment, waved her hand to conjure a tea tray. Pouring four cups from the golden pot, she added sugar to three of them, passing Celtos the unsweetened one and distributing the other three. While they waited for their tea to cool, Damus posed the question again.

"Mistress, are you going to address why we are here?"

Onyx shook her head slightly. "This is an open counsel. For now, we are all equals, and that means names only." Taking her first mouthful of tea, she swallowed slowly before speaking. "I think we all know, at least basically, why we are here. Troy."

"Shouldn't Veronique-san be here for this?" Celtos queried.

Onyx shook her head slightly. "Veronique is still concerned over Katie's behavior from dinner. She is observant, more so than most give her credit for. She knows that something is wrong. I prefer to keep this between ourselves for the moment. Once we have reached a conclusion, we will inform Veronique."

Celtos nodded slightly. As Onyx was the senior most of the commanders in the village, she often took the most important decisions upon herself, passing them down the ladder of command to Veronique, Sarah, and Katie. Having known her light and the two monsters for longer than anyone else in the Village, they were the ones that she turned to first for a counsel.

"Since we all know you have read his mind," Sarah broke in, "I'll start by asking you what you found."

"Surprisingly little," came the quiet answer. "When last I checked, the King was not in the habit of training his soldiers in the art of mental defense. However, all my attempts to infiltrate Troy's mind, to the degree that it would be unnoticeable, have failed. He has a surprisingly strong defense around his mind. I could only skim his surface thoughts, those continually present and unguarded." She paused for a moment, and the other three watched her expectantly. When Onyx returned to her tea, Sarah sent a mental 'poke' through the pendant, making the Yami inhale a fair quantity of the hot liquid, sending her into a coughing fit.

"Well?" Sarah demanded again once the coughs had subsided. "What did you find?"

"For the past days," Onyx answered, her voice hoarse from the coughing, "the word at the forefront of his mind has been 'mission.' He's not here by accident."

After the others had a few moments to worry over that revelation, she spoke up again. "However, when I read his thoughts at dinner tonight, they were focused solely on Katie."

"Wonderful," came a sharp, sarcastic mutter from Sarah. "Now we have an enemy soldier lusting after one of our village commanders, who is already deeply involved with one of our monsters."

"You mentioned the King's training. What do you know of him?" Celtos, resting his chin on Sarah's shoulder, peered intently at the dark woman across from him, trying to distract from the disturbing notion of a dangerous love triangle.

"I did not always live in Sacelon, Celtos. Once, I was a warrior for the outside world." She frowned for a moment before adding, "I doubt the King has forgotten the symbols of my and Veronique's houses."

The others looked confused by that, but the expression on Onyx's face made it clear that the matter was closed. At least, for the moment.

"So, if Troy is here on a mission..." Damus' distracted murmur turned the gazes of the others toward him. "That means he can never leave Sacelon."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

**Disclaimer in previous chapters. Violence and Sexual Contant. Blah blah blah. You know the drill.**

* * *

Over the next few days, Troy found it difficult to focus on his mission. If it wasn't Neo or Onyx, it was someone else constantly keeping their eyes on him. Eyes, always watching, glaring. He could handle it though. He was a soldier, a leader and he could handle anything thrown at him. Than why couldn't he handle this constant attraction to the naïve leader? He was always watching her while he gained his information. She was bound to slip up and spill something. The only problem he faced was that he couldn't get close to her because Neo was constantly swarming around her. If it hadn't been for that damn kiss than maybe he'd be able to get closer. At times when Neo disappeared he was able to get close to talk to her but she hardly ever spoke of the pendants and their powers.

It was night tine now, and Troy lay on his bed with nothing on but a sheet that covered the lower portion of his body.

_Always training, always ready. Those pendants have to be used as some form of communication or something. Not to mention the fact that somehow one of the monsters was able to heal a broken arm on their own the other day._

Troy could see the pendants glowing when he walked through the village, but never saw lips move or anyone stray from their activities.

_There is a hidden power here and I NEED to find out what it is. They may be strong and able to do things that men can't, but with a force of over 100,000 men and the perfect plan, we can defeat them._

Troy winced when he heard noises coming from the room next door. He didn't want to think about her, or that thing she was sharing her bed with. His thoughts wondered back to his mission until a voice inside him spoke up.

_She's not going to come willingly. _

_I know that you fool! _Troy, tired and weary, snapped back at his internal voice. _I have to take her with me, so that she can expose the power of the pendants to myself and my lord. She knows how they work and she WILL make it work or else._

Troy finally drifted off into sleep with a smirk on his face.

* * *

In the room next door, Kate lay on the bed, tossing and turning in her sleep. She sat up suddenly, panting, sweat pouring down her face. Neo sat up beside her and set his hand on her shoulder.

"Kojika?"

Once the girl finally caught her breath she turned her head to face him.

"Kojika, what is it?" He said as he gently ran his fingers over her cheek and jaw line. His voice was laced with concern for his lover.

"I-I had a vision." She mumbled, struggling to keep the fear out of her voice. Neo worried about her no matter what, and it was worse when she had a vision. Aside from being painful, they were frequently terrifying.

Neo caught her eye and kept the contact. "Tell me." He said softly.

"I-I was on a strange horse and....."

Neo kept watching her eyes as tears welt up in them. Gently he placed his other hand on the other side of her face, holding it softly, but making her feel comforted.

"Go on." He said.

"I fell off the horse, and then men in black armor with red bands around their middle surrounded me. Oh, Neo, it was terrifying."

She pulled her head from his hand and buried it in his chest, wrapping her arms around his body. Sobs racked her slender form as she released her fear to him. Neo wrapped his arms around her and held her gently, laying her back down on her pillow and covering her with the sheets once more. He thought about what this dream or vision might mean. Kate had had visions before, and usually they were pieces of what was yet to happen. Neo didn't like the feeling of this one, and he held her shaking form close to his body. He comforted her and eventually soothed away her worries, dropping her into a peaceful sleep. Neo carefully took the visions from her head and held them in order to show Onyx the next day.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day, Kate stayed in bed, still feeling sick from her vision. She slept thanks to a sleeping spell given to her by Veronique that left her with only pleasant dreams. After the days training, Neo found Onyx in one of the lower hallways, one occupied largely by various libraries and planning rooms.

"Ony-sama," he greeted, bowing. "We have a problem."

She raised an eye brow at the swordsman. "We seem to be having a lot of those recently."

"We have another one."

Onyx gazed at the monster for a moment before motioning him into an empty study. Closing the door behind them, she motioned to him to sit on one of the wooden chairs. Without a word, Neo took the seat and sent Onyx the images he had gathered from Kate the night before. A glazed look came into the woman's eyes, as though she was staring at nothing, and Neo knew she was examining the visions.

"I see," she said after a long moment. Walking to the desk, she sat on the corner of it and stared steadily at the monster, silently inviting him to speak.

"Her visions always tell us something, and I don't like this one." Neo said honestly.

Onyx gave him a sharp look, but after a moment turned to gaze at one of the tapestries on the wall. "I know, and nor do I," she answered softly, and looked as if she was deep in thought.

Neo stood quietly.

"Go to breakfast." Onyx finally said.

"But...."

She glared at him before he bowed and left the room.

Standing silently, the Yami walked over to the tapestry she had been gazing at a moment before. She had been surprised when the vision had showed the armor that the men wore. At the back of her mind, her past remained, unforgotten, but rarely discussed. Now, glaring at the tapestry as though it were at fault for everything wrong, she tore it from the wall and threw it to the floor before vanishing from the room.

The tapestry was a scene of an ancient battle, one waged many years before, by the King's army, against his dark foes, sorcerers and wielders of dark majic. The army of the King, depicted in tiny stitches, was clad in jet-black armor, with blood red sashes bound around their waist. They were lead by two women on horseback, both of them with long black hair.

After leaving the room, Neo sent for a tray to be brought up to Kate's room so they could have breakfast together. He had just rounded the corner into the corridor when he found Troy standing at Kate's door, looking like he was ready to open it.

"What are you doing?" Neo growled as he advanced on the man, stopping a few feet away.

Troy turned and looked the swordsman square in the eye. "I was going to check on her."

"She doesn't need you checking on her." Neo continued to growl as he glared at Troy.

The stranger glared right back at him, knowing that his presence annoyed the swordsman made it all the more fun.

"Well, I'm concerned about her." Troy said.

"You shouldn't be. She's fine."

"If she's fine, why wasn't she at training?" Troy said with an arrogant hint in his voice.

"Because she didn't sleep well last night and she's resting."

"But you just said she was fine. I don't believe not sleeping constitutes being fine."

The two were throwing fierce glares at each other.

"Why don't you just go to breakfast?" Neo growled.

Troy growled. "Because I want to check on her."

Neo wanted so badly to smash in the head of the arrogant man, but figured he better not. Well, not just yet that is.

"Leave her alone," he threatened. "She loves me."

Troy smirked as he got a thought that he knew would piss Neo off.

"That's not what she said yesterday when I had her up against the wall."

Neo's eyes flashed. "Take that back! She would never do anything with you."

"Really?" Troy hissed.

With that Neo threw a punch, hitting Troy square in the face. The man stumbled backwards a few steps, but regained his footing quickly and attacked the swordsman.

The soldier's first strike was high, aimed at Neo's head, but the blond ducked it, aiming a fast kick at Troy's legs, hoping to end this quickly. Troy was better than he'd thought, though, and easily jumped over the kick, retaliating by throwing a kick of his own into Neo's stomach. The monster was thrown backwards a few strides, but regained himself and leapt forward, throwing his next blow into Troy's side. Troy felt a piercing pain in his chest, and realized with disbelief that the monster had cracked one of his ribs with the blow.

Drawing in as deep a breath as he could, the soldier threw a feigned punch at Neo's shoulder. When the swordsman ducked away from it, he took Troy's real blow squarely in the mouth. His lips split, he kicked out, aiming at Troy's injured side, but the soldier grabbed his leg and twisted, forcing the monster to the ground. It was a mistake, though, for Troy found his own legs swept out from under him a second later. Landing hard on his back, he found the blond lunging towards him with deadly intent in his eyes. Drawing his legs up, Troy kicked the monster squarely in the chest a second before Neo could strike him. The swordsman, thrown backwards, caught himself on his hands and turned a flip, landing on his feet a second later. Troy, already standing, tensed as he prepared for another round.

"Stop it!" Both men ignored the yell and lunged at each other, but they were suddenly thrust apart by strong arms.

"Stop it! Both of you!"

Both men turned their shocked gazes to the person between them. There stood Kate, her arms stretched in order to keep them further apart. She was wearing a flimsy nightgown and her hair was a mess. Her eyes were still glazed over with sleep.

"Stop it, both of you! What the hell is going on?"

The two men just growled at each other over her head.

"Stop it!" After looking at the men, she called out, "Dian." The healer appeared promptly and bowed to her.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Attend to Troy while I attend to Neo, in my room."

The healer nodded and took Troy's arm, leading him to a chair in the corridor that was still standing. Kate pushed Neo into her room and closed the door before shoving him before her to the bedroom.

"Sit!" She barked.

Automatically, he sat down on the edge of the bed while she looked over his cuts and bruises. She didn't say anything for a moment as she touched Neo's bloody mouth, taking the wound onto her own lips before healing it.

"Kojika...."

She held up her hand and continued to take his wounds, healing them quickly. When she was finished she looked him in the eye.

"Tell me what happened." She asked, her voice softening slightly.

Neo couldn't help but admire how nice she looked, still flushed from anger and rumpled from bed.

"Neo!"

"I'm sorry. He insulted you."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Insulted me?"

"Yes, I was protecting your honor, and he just attacked."

Kate glared at him. "Did he throw the first punch or did you?"

Neo sighed. He couldn't lie to her. Not this time, anyways. "I did."

"Neo, he's our guest!"

"But he insulted you in the most horrible manner!"

"What did he say?"

"That you... that he bedded you. And against a wall, no less!"

Kate stared for a moment before looking the monster in the eye. Neo wasn't sure if what Troy had told him was true, and she could see that worry in his eyes. Gently placing a hand on the side of his face, Kate answered his unspoken question.

"I don't want anyone but you. I would never break your trust by sleeping with someone else, especially a stranger."

Neo could sense the honesty in her words, and knew well that Katie was a poor liar. "Do you forgive me?" He asked, after a long moment.

With a slight smile she nodded. "Yes, I forgive you."

"Good, because I can't keep looking at you like this." He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his lap and assaulting her lips with his own.

She giggled. "Neo, please."

"You look so beautiful all angry and messy just out of bed." He said with a grin.

She couldn't help but smile. Later, she would confront Troy about this, but right now she just wanted the blonde holding her tightly.

* * *

It took almost an hour for Damus to find Onyx that afternoon. When he did find her, it was deep in one of the higher mountain caves. Onyx was dressed as he had rarely seen her, all in black leather with her feet bare and her hair loose. She was practicing her martial arts with impressive skill, lethal punches and incredible kicks destroying imaginary foes. He waited until she dropped to her knees, exhausted and gasping for breath, before he approached her.

"Mistress, Troy came to me a short while ago with a complaint." Conjuring a towel and a glass of water, he handed them both to her and took a careful step back as she stood up.

"He seems to have little else on his lips, what is it now?" The question, hard and angry, did little to deter Damus. He knew from experience that the anger was not directed at him.

"He claims that Neo attacked him in the corridor, and that it was both unwarranted and unprovoked."

Onyx drained the glass of water, which refilled, and drank half of it again before she had controlled herself enough to respond without anger.

"I will accept that it was perhaps unwarranted, but not unprovoked. No matter what his feelings for Troy are, Neo does not attack anyone without provocation or orders."

Wiping the towel across her face, the Yami took another deep breath, sighed, and glanced at Damus. "We'd best go and deal with this now. Otherwise, we'll have larger problems down the line."

Damus nodded slightly and the pair of them popped out of the cave together, heading back for the village.

"...it was completely unprovoked!" Troy, flushed and furious, leapt from his chair, pointing a finger at Neo, who glared at him from the opposite side of the table. Katie set a hand on Neo's arm, wisely preventing the blond monster from rising from his own seat.

Onyx raised an eyebrow at Troy. "So, what you are telling me is that you were walking down the corridor while Neo came up from the other side, and that my monster, completely out of the blue, came across the hallway to attack you?"

"I didn't say that."

"You did," came the soft growl from Daragon. The half-dragon had been called to the counsel room by Onyx before the meeting had begun. Now, the dark woman rose from her seat as well, motioning Troy to sit back down. He did, though reluctantly.

Onyx turned her gaze to Neo. "May I?"

The blond man nodded. "Of course, Mistress. My memories are yours to see."

The Yami nodded slightly and sat back down in her seat, her pendant already starting to glow softly. A second later, Neo's pendant began to glow as well. It did not take long before Onyx gave a grim, though satisfied nod. Turning to Damus, who sat beside her, she set her hand briefly on his pendant, apparently transferring something between herself and her mage.

Veronique, seated at her end of the table, turned slightly to glare at the girl sitting next to her. "You might have mentioned this sooner, Kate."

The blond girl glared back. "I was hoping that Neo and Troy would stop acting like morons and that this wouldn't happen!"

Sarah and Celtos both shook their heads slightly. The four leaders of the village, along with three of their monsters – Daragon was standing next to the doorway and Gartic was not present – were seated along one side of the long table, with the two Yamis occupying the seats at each end. Troy was left to sit alone, on the other side of the table.

Kate was sitting there trying to figure out what exactly was going on. She had heard the men fighting and had stopped it but she knew little more than that along with the partial cause. She sat there, continuing to hold Neo's arm to keep him from assaulting Troy again.

Now, Damus quietly picked up his staff, which had been resting against the table next to him since he'd sat down. Now, he stood up, pointing the staff at the far wall, which was blank, empty of any tapestry or torch.

To Troy's utter shock, horror and disbelief, the entire scene, exactly as it had happened from Neo's line of vision, began playing out on the wall. In sheer disbelief, he watched and heard himself taunting Neo.

"That's not what she said yesterday when I had her up against the wall." His own words, damning him, echoed dully through the room, followed by Neo's angry shout and the dull impact of flesh on flesh. The color drained from Troy's face, leaving him shock-white and shaking. What kind of demon was Onyx, to extract thoughts and memories directly from the minds of her monsters?

Kate stared at the scene feeling sick. No wonder Neo had asked her those questions! She had been sick all day from the vision, and now she couldn't hold it. Quickly she got up, knocking over her chair and ran from the room. Neo threw Onyx a despairing glance, and the Yami gave him a curt nod. Her permission gained, Neo leapt from his seat and raced after the girl. Veronique glared at Troy, her eyes flashing and making his blood run cold. She had that same look Onyx had had.

"Unprovoked, was it?" Veronique growled.

Troy just sat quietly, slouching slightly in his chair.

Kate had run outside and around the corner of the mansion before she lost everything. She fell on her knees, crying from the pain and the anger that she felt. She couldn't control it anymore and began to shake violently. A moment later, Neo's arms came around her, holding her, and his voice came, whispering Elvish in her ear. He knew that the musical language soothed her, calmed her, and he knew that she needed calming now.

Slowly she began to calm down until she was sick once more. Neo hid the expression on his face and held her gently as she let it all out. When she was finally finished she wiped her mouth on her sleeve and leaned against him.

"All better now?" He asked.

She nodded. "A little."

The soft light from the moon fell upon the two of them as he held her close. He continued speaking to her in Elvish as he gently touched her stomach. A soft glow appeared before the nausea was totally gone from the girl.

"Come on. Let's go back inside." Neo said softly as he helped her up.

Wrapping her arm around his waist she spoke again, "I can't go back in there. I'll just get sick again."

"No one said we had to go back in that room." He said as he helped her around to the front of the mansion. "If you'd like, you can stay in my house for the night."

Kate looked at him with a grateful look in her eyes. "That may be best."

* * *

Back in the conference room, Onyx turned to Troy, absolute fury radiating off of her. There was a knife in her hand, Troy realized suddenly, and, not for the first time, feared for his life at the hands of the Yami.

"Daragon," Onyx said, her voice tightly controlled, "take this scum to his room. Make sure his door is fastened and assign a guard outside the room. His access to the village and all areas of the mansion is hereby restricted and he is to be under guard at all times." Turning the knife upside down in her hand, Onyx brought the handle of the knife down on the table like a gavel. "Dismissed!"

Daragon took a firm grip on Troy's arm and all but dragged him back to his room. "Scum," the half-breed hissed in his ear as they walked. "Neo is my friend." A few seconds later, Troy found himself unceremoniously thrown on the floor of his room. The door was slammed behind him, and Troy found himself lying on the floor of his room in the dark.

* * *

Sitting cross legged on the floor in his living room, Neo closed his eyes and tried to focus on calming himself. Although he didn't often meditate, it was a useful way to control his emotions, especially as far as fear and anger were concerned. After a moment, he felt a gentle nudge at the edge of his mind, and recognized the presence as Onyx.

'Mistress,' he thought quietly. 'I have Katie with me. She wishes to stay in my house tonight.'

'I think that is for the best,' came the calm reply. 'Daragon volunteered to guard Troy for the night, so you will have the house to yourselves.' Because of the huge number of monsters in the village, it was customary for two or three monsters to share a house, although those higher in the command structure, like Damus and Celtos, were given their own.

Neo sent a quick acknowledgement back through the pendant and rose, slowly. He stretched out his arms and back, stripped off his shirt, boots, and socks – his armor was still back at the Mansion, in Katie's closet – and tossed them on the floor before walking through the gold velvet curtains that separated his bedroom from the living room.

Kate lay quietly on the bed, wearing not much more than one of Neo's shirts that was slightly large on her. She turned her head to look at him as he entered.

"Hey." She said softly as she looked him over.

"Hi." He said as he moved over and climbed up on the bed next to her and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry Neo." She said, trying not to let the moisture that came to her eyes fall.

Gently he ran his fingers through her hair. "What are you sorry for?"

"For bringing him here and causing you such pain."

Neo sighed. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't know he was going to turn out to be a complete jerk."

She wriggled closer to him, making him become very aware of her presence. "I know but I could have prevented all of...."

Neo laid his finger against her lips. "Do not think about that tonight." He whispered.

Kate looked into his eyes and realized that it was not worth it to argue. Besides, she hated when she argued with him, but they never stayed mad long.

"I'm just glad you trust me as much as I trust you." She said.

"It would take a lot for our trust to break." Neo said, running his finger gently across her lips, than her jaw line.

After a few moments Neo was kissing her softly. This was another way to calm her down as well as himself, in a sense that is.

Troy pushed himself up off the floor. The room suddenly felt very cold. After removing his boots be climbed into bed. A new set of thoughts ran through his head.

_How the hell am I suppose to get out now? She probably won't even come near me. Damnit, what have I done? Well I'll just have to think up a better plan. Knock out my guard or something._

He stayed awake the rest of the night thinking about what to do and when to do it.

* * *

The next day, Troy woke with a splitting headache from the lack of sleep. He felt as if someone had slammed his head into a wall. He dressed, but realized he'd have to wait in order to be let out of his room. He was a prisoner in this strange land, but hopefully it wasn't for long.

Down in the village, Kate lay asleep in Neo's bed as the swordsman was up and dressing. He turned back and looked at her, a smile spreading across her face. She looked good tangled within his sheets, her hair spread over the pillow. Carefully he knelt back on the bed, leaning towards her. She stirred slightly but became still once more. Neo gently moved the stray strand of hair from her face before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep my love." He whispered before getting up off the bed once more and leaving the house.

In the village Square, it was Sarah, not Onyx, who met him. "How is she?" the Hikari questioned, motioning for the monster to fall in beside her as they walked to the training fields.

"I left her sleeping." When he saw Daragon practicing with a quarterstaff on the other side of the field, he glanced at Sarah questioningly. "Who is watching Troy now?"

"Amazia," she answered, and Neo nodded slightly. The Amazon Archer was an attractive but dangerous woman, and had broken a few noses of the male monsters brazen enough to come onto her.

"She'll let him out at breakfast time," Sarah explained, "but not before. I'm overseeing the guard duties for the time being, Onyx is off doing combat training in the mountains, but she said she'd be back by dinner time."

"I sincerely hope so. No offense to yourself or any of the other masters, but Ony-sama is the only one that can truly control him."

"Of course... if that's your idea of control."

Neo sighed softly, and, looking grim, the two walked to the practice field.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Kate woke up suddenly, the visions racking her mind once more. Oh god, the visions! If only they weren't in pieces. She groaned as she fell back on her pillow. Not to mention these visions were becoming physically painful as well. Looking at her leg after moving it out from under the blanket, she saw a large bruise on her calf. Carefully she healed the wound on her leg and continue to lie in the bed, tangled within the warm sheet. They would have been warmer had Neo been by her side, but she knew he had to train with the others. She looked around the room. It was awfully lonely but with these visions, she couldn't find the strength to get up. She closed her eyes and attempted to drift off into dreamland.

Back in the mansion, Troy sat quietly in his room trying to figure out a plan. After seeing how powerful Onyx was, he was hesitant to try anything with the woman who now stood outside his door.

_The only way to do this is to knock out the guard, find the girl and get the hell out. My men will be waiting. _

They were supposed to meet in three days, so he'd have to put a plan into action soon.

When Veronique spotted Neo on the training field, she quickly and carefully approached him.

"Neo." She said, making the swordsman turn to face her.

"Veronique-san," he said with a bow.

"How is my light?" She asked, looking slightly worried, but trying hard to mask it.

"She's well. Sleeping when I left her."

"Is she okay? I mean she's not distraught over..."

Neo placed a hand on the Yami's shoulder. "She's fine. She just needs rest and time."

Veronique sighed. "Thank you," she said before walking off.

Neo stood quietly for a moment as he felt nervousness, fear and guilt run through him. He wasn't the one projecting it though. Quickly he left the training field and headed back to his house. He went inside and moved the curtains to his bedroom. Kate was tossing and turning on the bed again but this time so violently that the blankets were all over the ground. Quickly he hopped on the bed and grabbed her arms, forcing her to stop moving.

"Kojika! Kojika I'm here! Wake up."

The only thing Kate could see was a sea of black armored men. She was standing over them on a balcony and she was terrified. She could not stand heights as all and this made her thrash more.

"Kojika, wake up!" She heard.

Finally she managed to open her eyes. She had been holding her breath. She started panting, trying to get air in as the sweat covered her body. Neo hovered over her before pulling her up into his embrace. Holding her shaking form he spoke to her in Elvish once again to sooth away the nightmares. Instantly he took them from her mind in order to supply them to Onyx once more. This time though she hardly stopped shaking. She was soaked with perspiration and crying violently at times. Neo wasn't sure of what to do at first but than he figured it out. He'd have to ask Onyx to sit down with her.

Finally Neo was able to calm her down, but the only thing was that she now refused to sleep.

"No." She said, shaking slightly.

"But Kojika, sleep is the best thing for you," he said with concern in his voice.

She looked him in the eye. "Every time I close my eyes, one of those visions comes up. I can't take them anymore Neo."

Neo sighed. "Than give them to someone else if you can't handle them!"

Kate just looked at the swordsman for a moment, he had a point. Slowly she moved away from him and stood up.

"Kojika?" He looked confused. She only pushed him away, anger flaring within her.

Slowly she pulled her breeches on before taking off the shirt she borrowed and pulling on her own. She sat down on the edge of the bed and began pulling on her boots.

"Kojika, what's wrong?"

"I'm going to find someone." She replied as she laced up her boot.

"Who?"

"The one who can handle these damn visions." She laced up the other boot and stood up.

"You should go back to training."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" He asked as he came around the side of the bed and stood before her.

"Yes." She said before wrapping her arms around him and kissing him deeply on the lips.

He kissed her back before letting her go. They walked out the door together before walking together to the training field.

"Who are you going to give them too?"

"That's a surprise." She said with a smile.

He was glad she wasn't feeling bad anymore, though he could tell she was limping slightly. He had seen the bruise on her leg, but couldn't figure out where it had come from, until he looked at the visions. He cringed at the thought of these things really happening. The thought alone made him pull the girl tighter to his side. When they made it down to the field, Kate's eyes searched the area.

_Where are you Celtos?_ She wondered.

At the opposite end of the training field, Celtos was sparring with another Celtic Guardian. This one, a young Elf by the name of Seltis, was younger and less skilled than his older counterpart, but nearly his match in strength and speed. As Katie approached, Celtos used a sweeping twist of his own blade to disarm his opponent, sending the other Elf's sword spinning away to land on the hard ground several feet away. Panting slightly, the young Elf bowed to him.

"Your match, sir."

Celtos nodded slightly. "You are improving, Seltis, but you need to control your temper when you attack. It's getting you into trouble, because you attack rashly, and without thought of the result."

Seltis bowed once again, retrieved his sword, and quietly walked to the edge of the training field to wait for the end of the day's session. Kate approached Celtos quietly, still debating if this was the right thing to do. She was looking at the ground when she heard him speak.

"Morning Kai-san. Feeling better?"

Kate looked up at him. "A little."

Celtos looked into the young girl's eyes. They were still filled with fear and he could tell she was trying to keep her hands from shaking. Gently he placed his hand on her shoulder after sheathing his sword.

"What is it, Kai-san?"

She looked at him for a moment. "Can you get down on your knees for me?"

Being shorter than him, Kate couldn't give him the visions if she couldn't reach his head. The Elf raised an eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Please, Celt, just do this okay?"

Hesitantly the Elf got down on one knee, making his head come to about the middle of her chest or so. He looked up at her with question in his eyes. Kate just sighed before placing her hands on the side of his head and mumbling some words. After a few moments a blue light began to emit from Kate's hands. Some of the monsters that were training nearby had stopped and were watching carefully. Though Kate has some majical powers, this looked strange. After a few moments the blue faded from her hand and she steps back, releasing his head.

"Kai-san?" He asked.

"I couldn't handle the visions any more Celt." She pulled up her right pant leg.

Celtos looked at the bruise stretching up her leg that slowly began to fade before his eyes.

"Y-you gave me your visions?" He asked, sounding a little choked up.

"Yes. I respect you and trust you will use them to help everyone."

Celtos pulled her into a hug. "Oh Kai-san! Thank you! Thank you for trusting me enough to give me your gift."

Kate smiled and hugged him back. "You're welcome."

The other monsters quickly went back to their training before Kate left Celtos. Neo walked up to her before she got far and gently took hold of her elbow.

"Are you going to be all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm just going to go take a bath and change. I'll see you at breakfast."

Neo nodded before kissing her cheek and walking off to train.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**

**Disclaimer in previous chapters.**

**Violence to come.**

**This chapter was totally written by Onyx and S. It is there work here, not mine.**

* * *

High in the mountain cave, Onyx sighed deeply as she rested the point of her sword against the stone floor. Sitting cross-legged on a small outcropping of stone that served as a bench, she rested her forehead on the hilt of her sword, letting the coolness of the metal cool her feverish brow. Ever since she had seen the vision of the soldiers, she had neither rested nor eaten, and Damus had finally joined her in the caves out of concern for her health. Now, when the Yami finally showed a sign of weariness, he approached her, carrying a water skin.

"Please, Rianna. You should at least drink something." To his great relief, the woman silently extended her hand, accepting the skin from him, and uncorked it. She did not drink, however, simply stared at the skin in her hand for a long moment. Damus, uncomfortable with standing still, shifted his weight, and the woman jumped as though she had only just noticed his presence.

"Rianna, I fear for your health.... Are you sure you are all right?"

The woman sighed heavily and shook her head. "Damus, when you agreed to serve under me, as my monster and my second in command, you agreed that I need tell you nothing of my past." The mage nodded slightly, and she continued. "I am now altering that agreement. Then, I had hoped that my past might die a silent death, and that I could start a different life, in this village. Obviously, this cannot happen, since my past has come back to.... I can hardly say haunt me, but it's bitten me in the ass regardless." When Damus nodded slightly, she sighed, and began.

"Many years ago," she began, and Damus had to smile, "the armies of the King were lead by the families of the ten great noble houses. The houses, divided into pairs, were selected because they had prized qualities of soldiers. The houses of Bear and Ox produced warriors of immense strength, perfect fighters for hand-to-hand combat, foot soldiers. Fox and Snake were the cleverest, the most cunning. They were the master planners and strategists. Hawk and Cheetah were the swiftest, able to move fast and quiet over any ground. They made ideal scouts and ambush soldiers. The houses of Lion and Jackal, for their ferocity and deadliness in battle." She stopped and took a deep drink from the water skin.

"That's eight."

"Yes, I know. The last two were the most honored and powerful of all the houses, and renowned above all others. They not only possessed all four qualities that the other houses were prized for; strength, speed, cunning and ferocity – but also, they had dominion of the mightiest force of all. They had majic. These two houses were the houses of the Wolf... and the Horse."

Damus' heart froze. How many times, how many years had he seen those symbols, glittering under the sun of the training fields? How many times had he wondered over the shield that hung on Onyx's wall over her bed, jet-black, with her horse symbol gleaming blood red?

"One generation," the Yami continued, "these two houses were stricken with a rare malady. Each house had only one child born to it, and both were female. It was unusual, because these great houses were the King's little... 'experiment.'"

Her tone was bitter, and Damus blinked at her. "The King treated the Houses much like the horses in his stables, always mixing the best bloodlines, breeding many mares to his ten finest stallions. The mother in Horse was a princess in her own right, the King's daughter, and she had been forced to marry the High Mage of the King's court, the patriarch of the House. Neither she nor her daughter was displeased when he was called away for war with the rest of the patriarchs."

She took another mouthful of water and continued. "Although the King was displeased to find that the two children were female, he had another surprise. These two children were the most powerful mages that had been seen in many generations. They, like their fathers and forefathers, were trained in the arts of war and destruction and death. The other houses had not been so stricken, with a single child each, and had many warriors to boast of. They, like the two girls, were all incredibly powerful, and the King was very pleased. The entire kingdom was involved in a generations-long war with their neighbors, the dark land to the North, and the King hoped, that with these many powerful warriors, that he could end and win the war with one swift and decisive battle, using these children. So, the girls were trained in the use of majicks as dark as the foes that they faced from the North."

Onyx sighed softly and set her sword aside, before rising from her seat and walking twice around the cave, looking highly agitated. Damus took a careful step toward her, meaning to offer comfort, but the woman veered abruptly and went back to her seat.

"I have to tell this story now, Damus. Otherwise, I'll never be able to." When the mage nodded and sat down on the floor by her feet, she took a deep breath and continued. "On the eve of the battle that the King hoped would win the war, the Houses of Horse and Wolf both received tragic news. Their masters, the fathers of the houses, were killed in an ambush by enemy soldiers on their way to the battlefield. The two girls, although still young – they were sixteen and nineteen years old, little more than children – had been raised for their entire lives to uphold the duties and honor of their Houses. So, they volunteered to lead the troops of their fathers into battle."

Damus nodded in silent encouragement and she continued. "The two girls had never met before, as all the mages were trained separately. However, as they rode out with the new soldiers to meet the rest of the army, they became friends. And, when they reached the battlefield, they took command of the troops and lead them into the battle. During their approach, they used their majic as a shield, to prevent the enemy arrows from reaching their troops. Once they reached the front lines, the majic became a weapon to destroy the enemy soldiers. The King's forces did win that day, easily. But the soldiers had seen the great and terrible power that the two girls wielded. And they were afraid."

Again, she rose to pace the cave twice, then sat again and continued. "The soldiers were many, and the people of the kingdom listened to them. The people, too, began to fear, and slowly hate, the two girls for the power they wielded, because the enemy had wielded the same majicks. After a few months, the people rose up, and the Houses of the Horse and the Wolf fell in ruin. The families were killed and the homes destroyed, but the two girls managed to escape. Barely. So they decided, together, that they would create a place, secret and safe, where they, and the Duel monsters they chose, could live together in peace." Gently, she reached out, caressing Damus' face with one callused hand. "I should tell you the names of these children... The younger, from the house of the Wolf, was Veronique. The older and the more powerful... was Victoriana." Hanging her head, the woman made the hardest confession of her life.

"We are immortal warriors of the army of the King."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**

Ok, I'm just gonna say it now.....Blood and gore in the next chapters and I mean a lot so if you can't handle detail than just don't read on okay?

Disclaimer in Previous chapters.

* * *

Sarah, frowning, walked up to Celtos as Katie left the training field. "Celt?"

The Elf jumped and spun towards her, his head still reeling from Katie's actions a few moments before.

"Celt?!" Concern spreading across her lean face, Sarah peered closely at him. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm.... fine... I think." The Elf shook his head slightly, still trying to process what had happened.

"You think?" the girl repeated skeptically. "I thought it was a yes or no question."

The Elf shook his head and regained himself. "Begging your pardon, Mistress, I apologize for my distraction, but I've just been given something that has thrown me a bit off."

Sarah's questioning gaze bored into the blond Elf, who winced. "Celtos, what are you talking about?"

"Well, you know how Katie-san has visions?"

"....yes...." Frowning at the Elf, Sarah bent to pick up a large stone that was lying by her feet.

"Well, she gave them to me."

Sarah, already unbalanced, toppled forward and into the dusty ground. Scrambling onto her knees, the girl swung her gaze back to the uneasy Elf, the stone hanging loose in her hand.

"She did WHAT?"

* * *

Kate walked upstairs to her room and nodded to Amazia. She could feel her stomach turning slightly, but she just went into her room and shut the door. She started to strip of her clothes as she walked into the bathroom. She smiled when she found the big ceramic tub full of warm steamy water.

_Thank you._ She thought as she removed the last of her clothes and stepped into the water.

Leaning her head against the back of the tub she tried hard to keep her eyes open but they soon drifted shut as the warm surrounded her body. She wasn't getting visions anymore, this time she only got sweet dreams of Neo. She smiled in her sleep.

* * *

He had heard the footsteps of someone entering the corridor. She was in her room. He knew it. The only problem was he couldn't get to her. Not with that woman standing outside his door, standing with a knife in her boot and a longbow on her shoulder. He had to get out of this hellhole quick. If he didn't, it was likely he would never get out at all. He smirked at the thought of taking Kate with him. When he got back to the kingdom, he would do as he pleased with her. Not just because of the lust he was holding back, but because it would tear Neo apart. Well, that is after they got the pendants. They were what he had been sent for, the ultimate source of power.

As he thought about his mission, he remembered stories that his lord had told him some time ago. About how way back, two teenage girls had been the source of a lot of problems. As he started to recall it, he wondered what had happened to those women. He closed his eyes and remembered the paintings that hung in the main house in the kingdom.

Two women, bold and grim in their black armor, mounted on their dark steeds. One, he recalled, was quite young, her face turned towards the castle to their left. The other, sitting with easy confidence in her saddle, one hand on the hilt of her sword as she gazed westward, straight ahead, her eyes gleaming red as they reflected the setting sun.

* * *

Kate woke up when she heard the noise of everyone coming in for breakfast. Dunking her head under the water she quickly cleaned up and hopped out of the tub, feeling better than she had over the past day and a half. She dried off and walked into her room. She got a cold chill that raked her body before she started pulling on her clothes. She was tying up the front of her tunic when her door squeaked open slightly. She jerked her head up, forgetting about the ties and looked over at the door. No one came in.

"Hello?" she called.

Before she could move the door flew open and someone hit her, sending her backward onto the bed. She yelped and squealed as a sweaty Neo started to tickle her.

"Hello love! Feeling better?"

She squealed again.

"That must be a yes." He said with a smile, eyeing her as he did on almost every occasion.

Her hair was still wet and she hadn't finished putting on her shirt. He tried to hide the growl in his throat but it didn't work.

"Sorry big boy, but I just got clean." She said.

Neo pouted, trying hard to look like a little puppy which he knew she couldn't resist.

"Oh no!" She said. "No way."

"Yes." He said still pouting before attacking her lips.

She didn't move away. She enjoyed it a lot, especially after all that had happened. When they let go in order to breathe Kate looked at him.

"I'm already clean. We won't have time."

"We'll make time," he grinned before pouncing on her once again.

* * *

Veronique walked up the corridor stairs and into the hall giving a nod to the woman standing outside Troy's door. Oh, how she wanted to just go in there and rip him apart for what he did, but she figured it best to keep her temper down. Besides, Onyx might have something better in store for him. She just sighed before walking into her room. She peeled off her armor, setting it carefully on a rack she had in the far right hand corner of the room. Twisting her long black hair up, she tied it back behind her head and made her way in to her bedroom. She was exhausted from training. She hadn't slept well the night before though, thoughts of her past running through her head. She cringed as she went off into the bathroom to bath and prepare for breakfast.

After she was all cleaned up, Veronique dressed and walked out into the corridor. Upon hearing noises from inside her light's room, she shook her head and made her way down to the dining hall for a much-needed breakfast.

Much to everyone's surprise, Onyx and Damus were already in the dining room, Damus looking as distracted and disbelieving as Celtos, and Onyx looking as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. In fact, the woman was smiling, a genuine, happy smile – and laughing! Veronique stopped short at the sight. Sarah, who was walking behind here, slammed into the Yami's back and wound up falling backwards into Celtos' arms.

"Ouch.... Veronique, it's not polite to stop in doorways!"

"Sorry," came the embarrassed murmur, and the Yami quickly stepped into the room.

Celtos, who had caught Sarah around the waist, pushed the girl lightly back to her feet. Onyx looked up immediately as the other Yami entered, and greeted her counterpart in a language that none of the others understood. Veronique, in utter shock, heard the ancient language of the King's Mages, and recognized the words as easily as those in the language they spoke every day.

"(Veronique, I've told Damus everything.)"

"(Why?)" Shocked and pale, the Yami dropped into her seat, staring across the expanse of table at the dark woman.

"(I had too. I am now convinced that Troy is a soldier in the King's Army. He is from the House of the Snake.)"

Veronique, who had made the mistake of drinking a mouthful of tea, promptly choked on it, sending the hot liquid across her place setting at the table.

"He's WHAT?"

Celtos, who was closest, passed a spare napkin down. It was simply shock that had forced Veronique's language back to their common tongue. Damus had his head tilted slightly to the side, listening keenly to their speech, trying to find patterns in the words and sentences. The mage was always eager to add another language to his extensive list.

Onyx waited patiently until Veronique had regained her breath before she resumed speaking. "If we are to defeat the current threat, than we have no choice but to give the information to them." At the 'them', she gestured aimlessly around the table at Sarah, Celtos, Gartic, and his identical twin, Garrus, both of whom had just entered.

"My room, immediately after breakfast, all of you."

Veronique arched an eyebrow at Onyx as the two Elves sat down. "And my Light?"

Onyx took an unnecessarily large gulp of hot tea and winced when it burned her throat. "Later," she managed. "At the moment, she's too... emotionally entangled in this situation."

Veronique nodded slightly and snagged the nearest platter of toast. Onyx sighed and settled back in her chair, as the door opened once again. This time, it admitted a slightly flushed Katie and a rather smug-looking Neo. The entire table shared a collective eyeroll at the sight.

Katie sat down quietly in her spot.

"Feeling better?" Veronique asked.

"Yes." Kate accidentally squeaked causing Veronique to chuckle slightly.

The chuckles stopped quickly as Troy and Seltis entered the room. Troy looked slightly annoyed by the fact that he was constantly being followed. He went over and took his seat at the table. Katie glanced across the table at Troy and quickly diverted her eyes elsewhere. She could feel her stomach turning once again. Neo placed his hand on hers and nodded that everything was going to be all right.

'You better not go off on him though,' she warned him mentally as she started to collect her breakfast.

'I won't. I promise.'

Troy continued to glance around the table. Even though he was in trouble with these people, it didn't mean he was going to be frightened of them and drop his mission. He had to get the pendants and get the hell out by tomorrow or his men might leave him. He glanced over at Katie and kept from smirking.

_You should say goodbye to you friends little one._ He thought.

Kate shivered at the feel of Troy's eyes on her. She stood up quietly.

"Excuse me," she said before leaving the table.

Everyone looked concerned as she left the room. Neo glared at Troy for a few moments, getting an equally evil glare back. Onyx, at the end of the table, set her cup down with a thud. Several people jumped, and Onyx sent Troy the worst look she could muster, curling her lip back to bare her overly sharp teeth.

Troy suppressed a shudder and looked away. Neo, looking aggravated, seized a piece of toast and stormed out of the room after Katie. Sarah sighed wearily and turned toward Celtos, beginning a mental conversation with him even as they both returned their attention to their breakfasts.

Garrus and Gartic began to discus a new training technique involving blade-tipped quarterstaffs as Damus and Onyx spoke quietly about Mirai's training. After a few moments of listening silently to the conversations, Troy risked looking up again, this time looking to Veronique.

"Maybe I should - "

"Troy, be silent or be neutered," snapped Onyx, fingering the hilt of her knife. Instantly, all the male monsters at the table fell silent, and Troy slouched a little further into his chair.

"Onyx," scolded Sarah, looking bemused. "It's not polite to talk about removing men's testicles at the breakfast table."

The males paled further, and Veronique had to clap a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, although little giggly snorts still escaped her nose. At the other end, Onyx's mouth twitched at the corners as the Yami suppressed the urge to smile.

"Besides," Sarah continued, using a piece of toast to soak up the egg yolk lingering on her plate, "it's so messy, with blood spurting everywhere, and this tablecloth is such a nuisance to clean..." At that point, the three females at the table lost their control completely and dissolved into hysterical laughter.

* * *

Meanwhile Kate had gone outside and down to the training fields. Only a few of the monsters were walking around and no one questioned her as she made her way inside a small building on the far end of the field. Quickly she walked over to it before throwing off her boots and going inside. It was a small building, the floor was covered in mats and hanging from the ceiling was a large stuffed bag. Kate took a stance before throwing a few punches at it. She kicked and punched it until Neo appeared in the doorway.

"Kojika?"

She looked over at him before throwing another punch.

"I let him get to me." She said before sending a sharp kick at the bag.

Neo raised an eyebrow in confusion as he stepped inside.

"I let him make me feel like shit. I let him scare me and break down my walls." Her punches and kicks became more fierce and demanding.

Quickly he chewed up the last of his toast before moving closer, being aware of her ever move. "What do you mean?"

"I mean (kick) he has managed to break down my walls. He's degraded me in the most disrespectful way."

Kate punched and kicked more fiercely and Neo knew he had to stop her before she hurt herself. Quickly he stepped up behind her, taking her around the waist and pulling her away from the bag. She tried to break free of his grip but soon gave up as he sat down against the wall holding her.

"I can't do it, Neo," she said as she started to break down. "I can't even be near him without feeling like I made a huge mess of things."

He held her close and whispered in her ear. "Shh, it's all right. You didn't make a huge mess of things."

"Yes, I did!" She cried out. "If I hadn't let him in..."

"It's not your fault he's a jerk and acted the way he did." Neo interrupted as he tried to keep his anger for Troy from flaring up.

"I feel so-so unworthy of living here. Onyx was right, I always create havoc everywhere I go."

Neo took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Never say that. You're worthy of everything you have here and nothing could possibly change that. Yes, you sometimes cause a little chaos but that doesn't mean you're unworthy of living here or that we love you any less. Besides," he added with a slight twitch of his lips, "you cause much less chaos than Mirai."

She just looked him in the eye and cried silently. He pulled her closer as he let her cry until she was exhausted.

* * *

Troy, who could feel the anger in the dining room directed at him quite clearly, made an effort to finish his breakfast more quickly than usual. Despite the jokes that the women shared, most of which related to amputating a few of men's more precious parts, the tension was still present, and it was making Troy nervous. As Seltis followed him out the door, Onyx raised an eyebrow at Sarah.

"Are you sure it was wise, my Light, putting such a temperamental warrior in charge of guarding such a high-risk person?"

Celtos quickly raised his hand, calling the dark woman's attention to himself.

"It wasn't her choice, Mistress, Seltis... ahem... 'volunteered' for the shifts today and tomorrow to make up for his rather dismal performance in the sword ring yesterday."

The smirk on the older Elf's face informed everyone quite clearly that the volunteering had been anything but voluntary. Onyx nodded, granting the Elf a slight smile. She, like the others, knew that Seltis, as an Elf, did not need to sleep as humans did, and could easily take the entire forty-eight hours of the shift without difficulty. Frustration, perhaps, but no difficulty.

"Very well," Onyx remarked, standing. "Everyone finished?"

She received all affirmatives in reply. "Very good," she murmured softly, then beckoned to the others with one hand. "Follow me." And she led them out of the dining room, up the stairs, into the hallway where the living quarters were contained, stopping at a door painted such a dark green it was nearly black.

Silently, she opened the heavy door and motioned for the others to precede her in. Damus, who entered first, lit the torches on the walls with a wave of his hand, illuminating the room in a soft, golden glow. It was already rather golden – a liberal use of enchantments had turned the walls, floor, and even the ceiling from wooden boards into polished golden stone. Without the furniture and tapestries that lay about the room, it would have resembled an ancient tomb.

However, the furniture largely prevented that. All of it was moderately large and very opulent, done in wood inlayed with gold and gems, upholstered with velvet, leather and silk. There were two sofas and a loveseat in the middle of the room, arranged in a horseshoe shape around a highly polished coffee table. Onyx and Damus took their places on the loveseat, leaving Veronique and the twin Elves to one sofa, while Sarah and Celtos took the other.

A quick wave of Onyx's hand caused a handsome tea service to appear on the table, with enough cups for everyone and a steaming pot of tea. A few people helped themselves to tea, while the rest simply sat back and waited. Once everyone had gotten themselves completely settled, Onyx sighed and stared at her hands, folded in her lap. "This morning," she began, "or perhaps last night, I lost track of time, I confessed to Damus my entire past." A collective gasp, without the contribution of Veronique or Damus, went up.

"I realized a few days ago that it would be necessary for my past to be revealed if the threat that Troy presents is to be defeated. For his past, and my own, are linked, by a thousand years of fear and bloodshed. In truth, it includes you too, Sarah - " the girl blinked, surprised, "and Katie."

"And Veronique, I take it?"

"Well, yes, my light, of course Veronique is involved. I think we're actually cousins, to a degree... I never quite managed to trace that down the king's rather complicated breeding charts." And with a faint sigh, she began to speak.

For nearly two hours she held the others in the room spellbound, as she spoke with greater eloquence and detail about the rise and fall of the two Houses. Even Damus listened, hearing the longer version of the story.

When she was done, Veronique sighed. "Wouldn't have minded forgetting most of that, actually, but I agree with Victorianna, it was necessary."

"Victorianna?" Sarah repeated. Although Onyx had told them the whole story, the dark woman had somehow neglected to mention her former name. In turn, the older Yami shot her counterpart a filthy look, a few strands of hair falling forward into her eyes as she glared.

Veronique laughed. "That's the same look you gave your horse when you got thrown."

"Thrown?" Sarah echoed in disbelief. "I've never seen you get thrown, you're an excellent rider!"

"I am now," came the weary reply. "The incident Veronique was referring to occurred when I was twelve."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**

Warning, Blood and Gore to come.

Disclaimers in previous chapters.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kate had tossed and turned all night, unable to get rid of the repercussions of her visions. Despite the fact she could no longer have visions, the previous ones could keep returning. She was exhausted by the time morning and training rolled around.

Neo glanced at her as they dressed, seeing the dark circles under her eyes and the exhaustion-induced clumsiness in her movements. "Are you sure you can train today?" he asked as he watched her put her boots on.

"Yeah, I'm fine," came the reply.

Neo wasn't convinced. He had felt her moving constantly beside him the night before, and even had a few bruises from where she had kicked him. Worried about her reaction, he healed them before she could see them. When she had finished tying up her boots she turned to look at him.

"I'm fine. Really!"

"No, you're just as stubborn as I am," he said, pulling her over to him.

They kissed before quickly getting into their armor. Neo could see she was struggling at times, which was very unusual for her. She allowed him to help her put the armor on, which was even more unusual, before they walked outside together. Troy was not allowed outside during training anymore, and was left in his room to stare at the ceiling. However, unknown to the citizens of the village, he was also working out his plan.

After arriving at the training field, Kate found Celtos and demanded a sword match, which he agreed to against his better judgment. However, she was having a hard time holding her sword and Celtos could easily knock it out of her hand.

"Kai-san, you are not well," he finally argued, kneeling down and setting his sword at her feet. Technically, that action constituted a forfeit, but she knew he was only doing it to spare her further embarrassment or possible injury. Although she found it annoying, a part of her was grateful for his concern.

"Not really, no," she muttered, and set her sword by his feet in the same action before glancing around to make sure Neo wasn't in earshot. "The visions that I had before I passed the ability to you won't go away. They keep reappearing every time I close my eyes."

"Maybe you should talk to Ony-sama about it."

"No!" The answer came quicker than she wanted it to, and she quickly backpedaled. "I-I'm sure they will go away on their own, given time. I don't want to bother Onyx."

Celtos gave her a skeptical look. "Of course, Kai-san."

"I think I'm just going to go back to the house," she muttered, retrieving her sword and sheathing it.

"That may be best," Celtos replied, picking up his own sword and bowing slightly to her.

Kate walked back up towards the mansion, lost in thought. She had a bad feeling about this day, although she couldn't pinpoint why.

After breakfast, Troy knew to put his plan into order. He had remained silent throughout breakfast, listening to everyone else's plans for the day. He learned that Neo was going to go train more while Kate went to the barn. He knew this was his chance. Besides, the Celtic Guardian guarding him wouldn't be too hard to defeat. He didn't look to be too much of a challenge.

Kate was uneasy sitting at the table with Troy, and felt incredibly relieved when she and Neo were allowed to leave. The unease she had felt earlier during the day had not dissipated – if anything, it had increased. Something about this day simply was not right. Now that she had given up her visions, she couldn't tell what was giving her the bad feeling.

"Kojika?" Neo asked as they walked out down the front steps together.

"Huh?" She looked over at him.

"What's wrong? You seem unnerved." He turned away as he asked this, examining a small crack in the wooden handrail running down beside the step.

"It's nothing," she replied shortly, and kept walking.

"Are you sure? Because if you're not feeling well...."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He said, the concern becoming more and more obvious every time he asked.

"Yeah." She said, lacing her fingers with his.

He smiled and gripped her hand tightly as they walked, almost enough to hurt, but not quite.

"Neo?" The timid query came after several minutes, when they were about halfway through the village proper and towards the training fields.

"Yes?" He looked over at her.

"I...I'm having a bad feeling."

He continued to watch her carefully. "What kind of bad feeling?"

"I'm not sure. Something just doesn't feel right."

Neo stopped and pulled her close, looking into her eyes as if searching for the cause of her distress. Kate just looked back at him before sighing.

"Let's just get going okay?"

Neo was concerned but didn't argue with her. When they got to the training field, Neo cupped Kate's face within his hands and murmured a goodbye before kissing her passionately. Kate held on to him for a moment longer, not really wanting to let him go for some reason. This worried Neo slightly, but he shrugged it off and walked on to the training fields. Kate turned left and walked a few hundred feet further down, to the stables that were Onyx's pride and joy.

- - - - - - - - - - -

In the corridor on the way back to his room, Troy stopped, leaning one hand against the wall, and coughed several times. Seltis, the young Celtic Guardian who had been assigned to guard him, stopped and turned to glare at him.

"What's wrong with you now, outsider?"

Troy coughed again before answering. "I need fresh air is all. I've been stuck in my room without relief for days now."

Seltis nodded slightly, the emotions in his eyes fluctuating between exasperation and relief. Like Troy seemed to be, he was sick of waiting around the Mansion. He gave a short jerk of his hand, ordering Troy to follow, and the two walked out of the mansion. Everyone else had dispersed some time ago. Onyx and Damus had vanished to some unknown locale, Sarah and Celtos were back on the training field, and Veronique was checking the river near the waterfall, nearly a half-mile away, for fish.

Troy took the lead walking down the wide front steps of the mansion, and Seltis – who had protested this assignment for nearly an hour when it was assigned – was more than happy to follow him. They walked past the armory, the village sprawled out on their right and the training fields approaching on their left. After a moment of looking, Troy located Neo at the back of the field, deeply involved in a match with Celtos.

"Where are you going?" Seltis finally asked, as they continued toward the stable.

"I just want to see the village," Troy lied, feigning exasperation. "It's beautiful, and all I've seen of it so far is a dusty field and a few burned houses."

Seltis eyed him carefully for a moment as though trying to see through him before they continued onward. The barn, all polished wood with a grey stone foundation, was a short distance from the training fields, and Troy focused his gaze on it eagerly. He could just make out Kate walking inside. This was it! He moved towards the back of the barn and Seltis followed.

Kate stood inside tack room of the barn, getting her things together for her riding lesson. Gaia, one of Sarah's monsters, was teaching her to ride her horse, Venus. Carrying her tack and a grooming kit, Kate walked into Venus' stall, calling a soft greeting to the horse. The chestnut mare gave a soft snort and rubbed her head against the girl's shoulder. Laughing, Katie slung her tack over the low outside wall of the box stall before turning to rub the horse's face.

"Hey girl." Kate said with a smile, scratching the white blaze that ran down the mare's face. Taking the soft leather halter from the peg outside the stall, she slipped it over the mare's head and used a length of rope to tie the mare to a ring in the wall, ensuring that she would stay still to be groomed and not walk out the door Katie had left open for convenience.

There was a soft thump and a curse from a few stalls down, and Katie heard Gaia fiddling with the latch of his horse's stall. The Knight, an accomplished rider, rarely used tack on his steed, Zephyr, and found it cumbersome when he did. It was used during Katie's lessons largely for demonstration purposes, since it was difficult how to explain the correct position of a foot in a stirrup when one was riding bareback.

"Are you all right, Gaia?"

"Fine, thank you." His voice was slightly terse, which probably meant he was lying, but Katie just shook her head. It was no use trying to pry an admission out of the monster if he was determined not to give it. Shrugging, Kate picked up her currycomb and began to work the mare's back. Venus simply returned her attention to the hay she had been eating, standing still for her master.

As Troy and Seltis made their way around the stable from the back, Troy eyed the rocky surface of the ground and made his decision. Suddenly, and with a soft cry, he fell to his knees on the ground, his face bowed to hide its expression. Seltis, looking infuriated, spun back around to face him.

"What is wrong with you?" Seltis demanded. When he received only a soft groan in response, he bent down, intending to pull the man to his feet.

This was his big mistake. Troy tightened the grip on the heavy rock in his hand and swung it in one short, fast movement. Seltis, caught off guard, was struck hard in the right temple by the brick-sized rock. Unconscious and bleeding, the Elf fell to the ground without a single cry. Troy, looking disgusted, shoved the limp body away from him. A fast look around revealed a large haystack only a short distance away, against side of the barn. Seizing the Elf's wrists, Troy dragged the limp form to the side of the barn and tumbled him into the haystack. A few quick tugs on the hay pulled an avalanche of it down over the Elf, hiding him from view.

"Stupid fool," Troy muttered. A smirk played over his lips as he dusted the hay from his hands. Giving his appearance one last, quick check, he made his way through the back door of the barn.

He entered slowly, looking around to see if anyone else was in the barn but Kate. No one was in sight, and most of the stalls were unoccupied. The horses were turned out unless they were needed for riding during the day. The first occupied stall was the tenth one in on the left, and he glanced in. Sure enough, Katie was there, leaning against the horse's flank as she worked a snarl out of the mare's flowing tail. Smirking, he leaned against the doorjamb of the stall.

"Hello, Kate," he said to the girl's back.

Kate jumped and whipped around, dropping the mare's tail. "Troy, what are you doing here?"

She tried hard to hide the nervousness in her voice, but it didn't work too well. Additionally, she didn't see his guard. That fact worried her far more than Troy's mere presence.

"I wanted to see the stables," he said as he moved over to the open stall door.

Kate watched him, getting more and more nervous by the minute. Something in his eyes was making her wonder. They were darker than usual. From experience with Onyx and Veronique, Kate knew that when eyes darkened, whatever happened immediately afterwards was not generally good.

"Well, here they are. Did Onyx dismiss your guard?" she asked, knowing fully well that Onyx would not have done such a thing.

"Oh, no," Troy answered casually, "he's standing outside there." Moving a half-step into the stall, he waved one hand towards the back door of the stable.

Kate wasn't convinced. He had to be here for some reason. The question was, what was it? Revenge against Neo? Revenge against her? To rape her? The last thought made her jump.

"Are you all right?" Troy asked as he entered the stall and began examining her mare, standing a careful distance from her head. The mare had already put her ears back, showing her displeasure at the unwanted intrusion.

"Fine," Katie answered cautiously as she retrieved a body brush from her grooming kit and returned her attention to the mare's coat.

Venus was slowly becoming uneasy with the strange man wondering around her and her master. Snorting softly, she shifted her weight from foot to foot, shaking her head slightly and ignoring her hay in favor of glaring at Troy.

Gaia, a few stalls down, heard the mare's snort and Troy's voice. Concerned, he used the pendant system to contact Katie, knowing that she had tucked the gem inside her tunic for training and Troy wouldn't see the distinctive glow.

'Kai-san, what's going on? Is he hurting you?'

'He has not done anything yet. Just stay out of sight and don't say anything to anyone.'

'But -'

'That's an ORDER, Gaia!'

The Knight sent a wave of displeasure back at her. Because monsters were bound to obey, he had no choice but to comply with her wishes. That didn't mean he had to like it. 'As you command,' he mentally growled back, and sat down beside Zephyr's water trough so that he would be completely hidden from any eyes in the barn isle.

"Fine horse you have here." Troy said, patting the mare's neck. The mare snapped her teeth at him and Troy took a discreet half-step sideways.

"She sure is. Neo is teaching me how to ride," Katie answered with some pride. Onyx had given the mare to her as a gift, several birthdays before.

The name made Troy cringe. He knew he had to move fast because Seltis would be waking any minute now. He walked closer to the girl, who kept brushing the mare's gleaming coat, struggling to control her fear.

Troy moved behind her and stopped inches from her ear to whisper, "You and I are taking a little trip."

He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, slamming her back against the side of the stall. The mare gave a startled neigh and reared up slightly, wanting to defend her master, but the rope jerked her head back down, leaving her helpless as her owner was abused. Troy ignored the mare and held Kate against the stall with his arm across her chest. With his other hand, he reached to the sheath on her belt and pulled Kate's dagger from it. The dagger was fine craftsmanship, all silver and sapphires with a folded steel blade. He held it up to the light for a second, admiring the watery sheen of the blade, before placing it against her throat. She kept herself from panicking, meeting his gaze with eyes full of anger and defiance. It was at this point that Kate sent her emotions through the pendant to Neo while telling Gaia to stay back.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Up at the training field, Neo was in the middle of delivering a sharp blow to Celtos' abdomen when he nearly dropped his sword.

"Neo?" Celtos said with concern. "What is it?"

"Something is wrong," Neo managed, although his face had gone dead-white and he was nearly doubled over, struggling to breathe through what looked like extreme panic.

"What are you talking about?" Celtos, aside from worried, was becoming highly confused.

"Kate," Neo gasped as he struggled to contact her.

- - -- - - - -

Troy continued to hold the dagger to her throat, not enough to break skin, but enough to hurt.

"We're going to cause a distraction. You're going to let all of the horses out of the fields, and than we're going to get out of this hell hole." Troy growled, authority ringing in his voice.

At that second Kate felt helpless. Even it he did hurt her, she could always be healed. The problem was, she didn't know if he would he kill her. She couldn't risk Troy slitting her throat. Even Onyx, the most powerful mage known to exist, couldn't bring Kate back if she was killed. The monsters could be regenerated through an ancient enchantment, but she definitely couldn't. This was not going to happen easily.

"Come on," Troy snarled as he pulled her out of the stall.

Venus snorted furiously, rearing the short distance the rope allowed as Kate was pushed out. Troy, sending the mare a vicious glare, slammed the door of her stall shut and bolted it, just as the mare snapped the top strap of her halter. A second later, the mare's chest slammed violently against the door of her stall. Troy, dragging the girl away, left the mare rearing and bellowing inside the stable, knowing that the commotion she was causing would shorten his available time. Katie, looking around desperately, caught sight of Seltis' limp hand protruding from beneath the pile of hay. She sucked in a breath and sent a silent prayer that the Elf was simply unconscious, not dead. She was about to go to him when Troy grabbed her and jerked her away.

"Don't help him. Now get over there and let the horses out now!" He growled.

Kate was pushed toward the gate to the pasture. The horses, seeing someone at the gate, swarmed over to her, expecting treats or petting. With slight hesitation, she lifted the rope over the wood post and swung the gate open. The horses, well trained, stood for a moment in confusion before Troy leaned over and slapped the closest one on the rump. The horse, a skittish palomino mare, squealed and leapt forward, breaking into a gallop as soon as she was clear of the gate. Kate stepped quickly back as nearly two hundred horses came galloping out. Troy grabbed Kate's arm and dragged her away as the herd flowed into the training field and the village beyond.

- - - - - - - - -

Neo dropped his sword, his face paling until it resembled nothing more than a white mask.

"Neo? What's going -"

Before Celtos could finish Neo took off. He dashed across the training field, pushing through people until he saw the horses coming. When he saw the stampede, he froze, shock and disbelief overwhelming his senses. The distraction of the horses and the panic Neo was feeling kept him from tracking Kate's location, and in his desperation he forgot that he could transport. Monsters dropped their weapons and began running in every direction, trying to catch the horses and get everything back in order. Veronique, who had returned only moments before, was running around, shouting orders to her monsters and chasing several of the horses back towards the fields. Neo, stuck on the wrong side of the stampede, found it impossible to get through the tossing river of horses before him. He searched desperately for a way through, but he couldn't risk the chance of getting hurt if it meant delaying his getting to Kate. Anger washed over him as he caught a glimpse of Troy pulling Kate along.

Troy kept the dagger against Kate's throat as he pushed her towards the doorway that they had used to enter the village. He had a firm grip on her upper arm, which he used to propel her along. His face stormy, he pushed her a few steps forward so that she was standing in front of the doorway.

"Open it!" he demanded, turning slightly to keep watch, never loosing his grip on her arm.

"No!" She protested.

Troy lifted his hand from her arm and cracked her across the face, splitting her lips, leaving trails of blood trickling down her chin.

"Open it, or I will kill you."

Kate spoke the words that opened the door and was about to be pushed out when she caught sight of Neo. Troy followed her gaze, and saw the swordsman behind a few horses. Seizing the girl's arm, he pushed her out the door and leapt after her. The instant they had both exited, the door vanished behind them. Propelled by Troy's hand, Katie stumbled through the forest outside the hidden door, her face burning from the earlier blow. Blood was dripping off her chin, but she made no move to wipe it off, not wanting to anger him more.

- - - - - - - -

Neo cursed madly as he finally made it to the door. It wouldn't open for a monster, as they were forbidden from leaving the village. Pounding the unyielding wood of the door with his fists, he gave a scream of frustration. He couldn't save her this time unless Onyx allowed him to go out, and getting her permission would not be an easy task. He couldn't concentrate on anything else at the moment. He could still feel her though and steadying himself, he sent her a message.

'Don't worry Kojika, we'll come for you.'

- - - - - - - - -

Kate heard Neo loud and clear. She knew they would come for her, but she was afraid of what would happen before then. Troy continued to push her along, away from the safe little village she knew as her only home. After a while of stumbling along, Kate became fed up and chose to stand her ground. He couldn't be the best of fighters, or he would have beaten Neo. She stopped and planted her feet in the ground, refusing to move. Troy stopped and growled at her.

"Move damnit!" He demanded as he grabbed her arm.

Quickly Kate took this as a chance, grabbing his arm and throwing her force into it, sending him flying forward to the ground. While he was still dazed she took off as at a fast run back towards Sacelon. She got not more than one hundred feet before he slammed into the back of her, sending her rolling to the ground as he clamped down on her arms. The next thing she knew she was pinned to the ground on her back. Troy straddled her, panting slightly as his glare turned almost deadly. Kate's arms were scraped up from the fall but she could easily heal them.

"You wench!" He roared, and raised his hand, bringing it down across her face with a vicious blow. It caught her across the bridge of her nose, and Kate felt the bone break beneath the blow. Blood spurted out and splashed across her mouth, filling her nose and making breathing difficult.

Kate was in so much pain now that tears threatened to fall, but she refused to let them. She wouldn't show her weakness; especially to someone she had helped and had turned on her. She healed her lip, as she lay pinned under him.

"You won't get away with this, you bastard!"


	13. Chapter 13 Part A

**A/N: Sorry about the wait everyone but we (myself Onyx and S) have been having some difficulties with communication, mostly cause they were moving and all but anyways. Here it is, Chapter 13 Part A. Disclaimers in previous chapters.**

* * *

"ONYX!" Sarah's furious, desperate scream echoed through both land and mind. High in the mountains, Onyx gave a startled yell and clapped both hands over her head.

'Ow! Sarah, what ?'

'Onyx, get down here, NOW!' A hint of fear made the girl's mental voice shrill, and Onyx didn't question it. Grabbing Damus' hand, the Yami teleported them both into the Village and into the middle of chaos.

Horses, most still moving at a gallop, were everywhere in the Village. Onyx pursed her lips for a long moment before cursed softly, spinning around until she saw the distinctive flash of silver-grey among the river of brown and black. Puckering her lips slightly, she let out a piercing whistle. Immediately Masabi, Onyx's stallion, separated himself from the herd, cantering to a stop at the woman's side. Grasping his mane with both hands, she easily vaulted onto the horse's back and settled herself comfortably as she looked around, assessing the situation with the skill of the battle commander she once was.

'Sarah, Veronique, Katie, report!'

'I'm behind the barn, Onyx. I've found Seltis, he's been knocked out. It looks pretty bad,' Sarah, sounding halfway between frustrated and furious, answered instantly. 'And I've spoken to Gaia. He said Troy came into the stable and took Katie.'

'He did WHAT?' Veronique, who had been waiting for Sarah to finish her report while she found her own horse, burst in.

Onyx's reaction was similar, although a bit more violent and confined to languages that no one save herself and Veronique spoke.

**-**

Troy pulled the girl to her feet. "Oh I'll get away with it," he replied, his tone arrogant.

Kate knew the disgust she felt was showing plainly on her face. After everything they had done for this man, this was how he repaid them? By brutalizing her, the one who had shown him the most mercy? She wrinkled her nose slightly as the pain started to abate. She had blood all over her face and tunic, and more was still spilling from her nose and mouth. Reaching up with her free hand, she carefully took her nose and realigned it before focusing her energies to begin the healing process. Troy continued to pull her along, not releasing the dominating grip on her arm.

"Would you like to hear the plan?" Troy asked finally, the smugness in his voice grating on her.

Kate just glared at him, making him laugh.

"I'll tell you anyway. It won't do you any good – by the time you could get back to your little friends, our mission will be accomplished. I am the Captain of a large army that is ruled by King Derrick. The King sent me on a mission to find your village, capture your pendants and bring the power back to him."

"Then why take me?" Kate demanded, knowing very well that the pendants did not work unless they were on their rightful owner. However, as long as Troy and the King didn't know, it gave her an advantage.

Troy grinned salaciously as he stopped and pulled her against tight his body. "I needed a gift to take home."

Kate tried to push away from him, but he just held her against his body until she felt the effect she had on him. When her face turned to a mask of disgust, he frowned and began pulling her along again. She silently returned her hand to her nose until it had finally healed itself. Troy had continued to watch her the whole time.

"How do you do that?" he finally asked.

"Do what?" she hissed back, trying not to growl.

"Heal your wounds."

"Majic," was all she said, making it clear she wasn't willing to discuss it as he continued pulling her along.

He 'hum-ed' softly in response and pulled her along for a few more miles in silence. When the sun was riding low in the sky, he finally stopped under a stand of young trees.

"We'll rest for a few moments," he declared, pushing her into a sitting position at the base of one of the trees.

Kate wouldn't admit how grateful she was for the rest, but settled herself more comfortably against the tree and tried to control her breathing and emotions. She watched impassively as he sat down next to her, flipping the dagger around in his hand.

"This is a fine blade you have here," he remarked conversationally, holding it up to examine it more closely.

She didn't say anything, just kept looking straight ahead. Neo had taught her mediation years ago, as a way to control her emotions, but she rarely used it and was out of practice. Thoughts that she wanted to push away kept circling around her mind. _He was stronger than she had thought. He was on a mission and determined to succeed. The others had been right about him._

After a little while, Troy dragged her back to her feet. The meditation abandoned, Katie followed him silently and the pair began walking again. If meditation wasn't going to work, she needed a different plan.

It was nearly an hour later before either of them spoke again. Kate, growing weary, was stumbling over rocks and tree roots that she could barely see in the dim twilight. Finally, she fell headlong over a tree root and let out a cry of pain and frustration.

"I need to stop! I've been sick and I can't walk any farther!" She hated the sound of her plea, but her body was about to give.

Troy stared down at her for a moment, than looked out in the direction they were heading. Onyx wouldn't have come up with a plan in the amount of time that it took them to get this far, and no commander would mobilize their troops at nightfall. It was too great a risk.

"Fine. We'll sleep here," he informed her curtly.

Kate rolled over and sat up against a tree, closing her eyes in relief. Troy sat down next to her, his eyes roaming over her body once more as she fought to ignore the feeling his gaze gave her. Seeing that expression of lust on Neo's face made her feel womanly, wanted. Seeing it on Troy's face made her feel downright nauseous. Kate ignored the cold feeling she was getting and pulled her knees against her chest. Seeing this, Troy smirked and leaned close to her.

"Go to sleep. You'll need it," he whispered in her ear. The feel of his hot breath against her skin made her shudder with revulsion.

Kate shifted away from him and scooted down so that she was half-lying on the ground. Carefully, she settled her arm under her head as a pillow and closed her eyes. She had learned long ago when she was little to always be alert, even when you sleep. With that alertness now ingrained in her, she knew she would be able to feel any move Troy tried to make. Slowly her thoughts drifted to Neo as her mind drifted to sleep.

-

Frustrated and unable to sleep, Neo finally kicked the blankets off his bed. They knocked into his sword, which he had left at the foot of the bed, and sent it falling to the floor with a clatter. There was a soft scuffle outside his door before Daragon poked his head in. The half-dragons eyes were dark with concern, but Neo noticed instantly that there was no sleep in them.

"You weren't sleeping either?"

"No," Daragon admitted quietly. "I cannot."

"Speak to Dian. He'll give you a sleeping spell," Neo muttered as he swung out of bed and reached for his boots. He had slept in leggings.

"Where are you going?"

"Up to the mansion! If I can't sleep in my own bed, perhaps I can sleep in Kojika's!" With that, he stormed out of the hut, slamming the door behind him.

He scaled the hill to the mansion with ease born of repeated practice, and opened the door carefully so that it wouldn't squeak. Quietly and slowly he went inside and up to the corridor where the personal chambers were. He hesitated at Kate's door before walking inside. It was dark and cold inside the room, not at all like it usually was. Quickly he lit the torches in the living room before moving into the bedroom. In here, a single lantern burned, casting a pale glow across the bed. He sighed as he fell onto the cool comfort of the blankets. Breathing deep, he caught her scent and images flashed before him. Matches they had, kisses they shared, jokes they played, holding her close, making love to her. He sighed again and drifted off into sleep, somehow managing to dream sweet dreams.

-

Troy watched Kate sleep for most of the night. Oh, how good she looked, golden and tempting, and she was just within reach. However, Troy knew if he brought her before the king too battered, the king might take his displeasure out on Troy's own back. Keeping that thought close to quench his temptation, he dozed a little, waking on occasion to make sure she was still there.

-

The next morning, Onyx called a meeting early, in one of the little-used war rooms in the lower level of the mansion. The sun had not yet broken the horizon, and most of those attending were bleary-eyed with exhaustion.

Onyx herself was the only one fully awake, but a look at the dark rings under her eyes revealed that she had not slept the previous night. Nor, obviously, had Veronique, but she was not nearly as awake as Onyx. The younger spirit was half-asleep in her coffee.

"Onyx, calling a meeting at this hour is cruel and unusual punishment," Sarah informed her darker half, setting her tea mug down on a pile of parchments. Onyx quickly lifted the mug away again before pulling the parchments into the middle of the table, away from the damaging wetness of the other's mugs.

"Punishment or otherwise, Sarah, we need my Hikari back. And having known Victorianna as long as I have, I know she has a plan already," Veronique answered. The others turned to look at her in surprise – both at the use of Onyx's real name, and the subtle reference to the two women's shared pasts.

"Your confidence in me is flattering. And well founded," Onyx answered, somehow managing to say it without sounding overly arrogant. With a quick flip of her wrist, she unfurled an enormous parchment map across the table. It showed, in stunning detail, the entire kingdom that she and Veronique had once protected, as well as Sacelon, hidden behind it's magical barriers.

"Wait a second," murmured Sarah, leaning forward to examine the map more closely. "This parchment is older than I am, but the details on here are all recent… We only built that bridge two weeks ago," she added in confusion, indicating the stone bridge where Veronique had been fishing the day before.

"The map is enchanted, it updates itself automatically every time one of the environs it represents is changed," came the immediate response. "And it's older than I am, never mind you," Onyx added as she set one finger on the large C-shaped castle at the far side of the map.

"This castle is where Veronique and I began our lives and training. It has changed very little in those many years, and the monarchy undoubtedly reflects that. The King's line has known about our existence ever since we fled Lohan. It has simply taken them a great deal longer than I expected for them to find us. Now that they have, we will not be safe until all the King's kin are in their graves."

"You're suggesting genocide!"

"I'm suggesting survival!" Onyx snarled back, and Sarah recoiled in fear at her dark half's tone. Seeing the expression in her lighter half's eyes, Onyx quieted immediately.

"My light, I apologize. But you must understand – the King supported the destruction of our Houses. If we are found to be alive now, after all these years of peace, the King surely will not rest until one side has been eliminated. If we give him half a chance, he will seize our power by enslaving Veronique and I, and the rest of you…" She broke off with an elaborate shrug, closing her eyes to hide the pain in them. "The rest of you would become casualties of war."

Frowning, Sarah dropped her head to stare once again and the ancient parchment. Celtos, sitting next to her, wrapped one strong arm around the girl's shoulders to reassure her before lifting his eyes to meet Onyx's.

"You have a plan, Mistress?"

Onyx nodded heavily, then glanced around to each of the faces in the room. Damus met her gaze without expression. Beside him, Daragon was stone-faced, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. Veronique, her eyes red, just blinked once and swallowed before dropping her gaze again. Pyon rolled his head back in his chair, his eyes going to the ceiling. Neo met Onyx's gaze with a bleary-eyed stare. Gartic and Garrus exchanged glances of their own, deep in a mental conversation; Celtos kept his face carefully blank. Sarah was the only one displaying any real emotion – a combination of anger, annoyance, impatience, and fear. Onyx sighed again as she read the emotions in the girl's green eyes. She had seen that expression in the faces of the thousands of untrained, unprepared soldiers that she and Veronique had lead to victory. Young men, not ready for combat, but too valuable to remain home, all champing at the bit, desperate for a battle, all wanting to claim that their sword had claimed the life of an enemy soldier, that they had contributed in some small way to the safety of their land. She thought for a second about how many soldiers had died with that expression frozen forever on their young faces.

Onyx hated that expression.

"All right," she said finally, "this is what we have to do. I will take the main force…"

-

A half an hour later, Onyx strode rapidly through the long hallway, the monsters trailing her all but running to keep up.

"Daragon, I want you, Dhan, and Gaia to remain here and take command of air patrol. I want two dragons in the skies at all times, so you'll have to rotate shifts. Keep the Harpy sisters with you. I want you in the skies before we leave, but have Gaia report to me first. I have other duties for him to attend to."

"And Harun?" Daragon inquired. The Harpy's Brother was an excellent flier, swifter than the dragons and his sisters.

"Harun will be with us. Dhan will have command of your group. See that he reports regularly to Veronique."

Daragon nodded once and vanished with a pop. Veronique immediately moved forward, taking his position beside Onyx, and leaned close to speak in the other Yami's ear.

"I realize it's for the best, Victorianna, but I resent being thrown aside as a last resort."

"If I were to take you out with the rest of our troops, and you were to be killed, then where would we be?" Onyx shot back harshly, then stopped so abruptly that Damus ran into her back. She caught his arm to steady herself, then turned back to the other Yami and addressed her with low tones. "Veronique, there is a very good chance that we will DIE out there. And if that happens, if we fail – I refuse to leave our home undefended."

"Then let the monsters stay!"

"The monsters don't have command experience! All the scenarios we put them through, all the training and work – it's all worthless! NOTHING can compare to experience!" Onyx was shouting at this point, her eyes nearly black with suppressed rage. Behind her, Damus carefully reached out one hand and settled it on her shoulder. Onyx shook it off, but the anger in her eyes dimmed slightly. Turning away from Veronique, she resumed her walk down the hallway. Halfway to the door at the end, she turned around to glare at her old friend.

"And stop calling me Victorianna. My name is Onyx now." Turning around, she reached the narrow trapdoor in the end of the wall and spoke a rapid phrase in the Mage's Tongue. This was the password, and the trapdoor shot open so fast she had to leap back to avoid being struck. When the door settled back against the wall, she calmly stepped into the narrow passage and began climbing the ladder against the back wall. It was a long climb – four stories straight up, since the ladder was only accessible from the lowest level of the mansion, where the war rooms were housed. At the top, she encountered another trapdoor, which opened quietly with the use of another pass phrase. Climbing out the top of it, she emerged onto the slate roof of the mansion and took a long moment to gaze at the Village laid out below her. Her dark eyes lingered on the gleaming stables with the hundreds of sleek, well-breed horses in them, and on the training fields where she had passed some of her amassed knowledge of battle to the monsters that lived with her. From there, her restless eyes moved into the Village proper, over the collection of neat huts, and into the green, where the gleaming stone statues stood.

Shaking her head once, she quietly turned and walked easily along the narrow peak of the roof, stopping once she reached the cupola in the middle. Beneath the beaten copper roof of the small dome, a large brass bell rested. Reaching down, she retrieved a small mallet from its resting place in a niche of the cupola wall. Taking it up, she tucked it carefully into her belt before vaulting effortlessly over the top of the cupola. Landing easily on the other side of it, she resumed her walk along the roof peak, down to the chimney that stood proudly at the end of the house. Hanging from the side of the chimney on a polished copper bracket was a large gong, nearly three feet across. Silently, she lifted the mallet from her belt and dealt the gong three strong blows.


	14. Chapter 13 Part B

**A/N: Sorry about the delay's folks. Here is the second part of chapter 13. Disclaimers in Pervious chapters. This chapter was mostly written by Onyx & S so not so much credit to me this time.**

* * *

The three strokes of the gong were a signal to the monsters of the Village, in much the same way that the tolling of the bell was. However, while the bell alerted them to an emergency within the Village, the gong was an order for the monsters to gather. They did so at the foot of the Mansion, where the two Yamis could address them from the wide stone platform at the foot of the mansion, giving orders under special circumstances.

Onyx, unwilling to take the time to go back through the mansion to get down to the platform, simply stepped down onto the steep side of the roof and slid calmly down. When the roof ended, she kicked clear of the side of the house, falling the forty feet down with perfect ease, and landed lightly on the center of the platform. The rest of the command group was already assembled, standing in a half-circle rear of the platform. Onyx glanced back at them, nodded once, and walked forward to stand at the head of the stone staircase that lead down to the wide clearing where the monsters stood, which was some ten feet below.

Frowning, Onyx stared down at the monsters gathered below her. "As I'm sure you now know," she began, "the hidden village of Sacelon has been discovered." A murmur, low and wary, swept through the crowd of monsters and quickly silenced. Onyx smirked a little, but hid the expression by ducking her head. Her voice was rich and powerful, and she knew well how to use it. "As I'm sure you also know, the outsider Troy is a soldier in service to the King of our ancient enemy land Lohan, and he has taken our lady Katie back as plunder to the King!"

A roar, half anger and half defiance, rose from the monsters as she finished that sentence, but quieted again as Onyx lifted a hand for silence. "Because of this," she began again, "I will select from your numbers a team of monsters to accompany myself, Sarah, Neo, Damus, and Celtos into the outside world to restore our secrecy and return Katie to us." Another roar rose and fell, quickly replaced by shouts of 'Me! Me!' and the like. However, Onyx raised her hand again, and the monsters fell silent once more.

"I will not make my decision based upon your requests, my friends, you know that. I need monsters that can blend with the human population if needed. Monsters who can ride swiftly, walk silently, and kill effortlessly. I will select those best suited from among you." There were a few disappointed groans at that, but they were quickly stifled as she spoke again. "Those whose names I call, join us here upon the stone. Tsiani!"

The Princess of Tsurugi gave a triumphant hiss as she leapt forward, the deadly diamond blades she carried glittering in the early light.

"Amazia!" Now the Amazon Archer broke from the crowd to run up the steps, her bow clasped tightly in one hand.

"Swaja!" This time it was Performance of Sword, a pale ritual monster with long violet hair, who came forward. Her walk was slow and sinuous, drawing the eyes of many male monsters as she climbed the stairs.

"Kagemusha!" The warrior of the Blue Flame grabbed his staff from where it rested beside him, checked that his sword was secure in his belt, and came forward.

"Masaki!" The Legendary Swordsman's armor flashed as he walked forward, his katana blade gleaming in the sun.

"Acian!" Several monsters had to step aside for the Ancient Elf to come forward.

"Darimus!" The second of Onyx's three Dark Magicians simply popped to the top of the steps, wasting no time with a walk of glory up the long stairway.

"Faher!" A wicked grin on his dark face, the Flame Manipulator leapt gleefully up the stairs to join the force collecting there.

"Swaren!" The Sword Hunter smirked beneath his helmet as he bounded forward.

Celtos, Damus, and Neo quickly stepped forward to join the rest of the monsters. Onyx surveyed them through narrowed eyes, her thoughts hidden.

"Twelve!" Sarah's thoughts were not nearly so hidden. "We're going up against an entire army of the King's soldiers and you're taking TWELVE monsters?"

Onyx scowled at her lighter half and glanced at Veronique. The younger Yami just shrugged before responding, "She does have a point."

Onyx rolled her eyes. "Stera! Silvis!" The two White Fang wolves bounded up the stairs and Sarah shook her head.

"That isn't funny, Onyx!"

Veronique put out a hand to silence Sarah and stepped forward, her face darkening with concern. "Sarah is right, Onyx. Twelve – excuse me, fourteen," she corrected as the two wolves growled, "monsters will not be enough. And as Katie is a part of this, I request you take some of ours as well."

Onyx nodded slowly, her face quieting until all expression had left it. Then, walking around the group of monsters she had already selected, she went to the back of the platform where Garrus, Gartic, and Pyon were standing. She addressed herself first to Pyon, her voice low and sympathetic.

"You were Kate's first monster, and when it came time for her to choose a second in command, your name left her lips without hesitation. You were her friend and confidante for years, and I know how deep your feelings run for her. You will join us."

"It will be an honor," the monster answered simply. He bowed once, deeply, and quickly joined the group of monsters in the center of the platform. Onyx watched him until he had settled next to Neo before she turned back to the twin Elves.

"Garrus, Gartic, you are one of the strangest pairs I have ever encountered. Even after so many years, I am lucky if I can always tell you apart." Garrus smiled a little at that. His brother bore a small scar on one ear, which was the only way to distinguish them while both had their shirts on. When unclad, Gartic had a prominent scar under his left shoulder blade.

"You were separated as children, trained separately, placed with separate masters, and yet, despite it all, managed to come together again here in Sacelon – although you are still under different masters. Or in your case, Gartic, over your Master…"

Both the Elf and the Yami had the decency to blush. Onyx smirked at them and continued. "Beyond your relationship as twins, you share a unique mental bond. You can communicate with one another even without the assistance of the pendants that Veronique and I created. That is why I must now separate you again."

At their stricken looks, she frowned a little, some grief reflecting in her own eyes. "I am sorry, but I have no guarantee the pendants will work outside of Sacelon, and I need a way to remain in communication with the Village while I am outside. Also, the monsters of Veronique's and Katie's that I will be taking are not used to obeying me. Gartic, you are nearly equal to Katie in Veronique's chain of command. This is why I wish you with us, while your brother remains here."

"We do as you bid us, Mistress," the two Elves replied in unison. They embraced each other once, tightly, both reluctant to let go. There was no guarantee of survival for either of them, and neither wished to think it was the last time he would see the other. They parted slowly, Gartic moving forward to join the assembled ranks, Garrus moving backwards into the shadow of the Mansion. Onyx gazed upon them for a moment with something like compassion in her dark eyes, then walked around the group of monsters and returned to the top of the staircase.

She gazed down upon the monsters that stood waiting, her eyes flitting restlessly from one to another. Her gaze settled, after a moment, on a blond monster at the back of the group, one very similar in appearance to one of the monsters behind her.

"Neo!" Both the one before her and the one behind her looked up. Confused, Katie's Neo pointed a finger at his chest, mouthing the word, 'Me?'

"Yes, you. I've seen you on the archery field; you're nearly as proficient with a bow as you are with a sword. That will be useful. Hurry up!" she added, when he slowly began to maneuver his way through the crowd. The other monsters parted before him, and he scrambled up the steps, still looking surprised, and joined the group while Onyx went back to surveying the monsters.

After a brief moment, Onyx's eyes settled again, this time on another set of twins. These, however, were female – the Lady Assailant of Flame twins, Asames and Flamas. She called them up as well, and they came without hesitation. Onyx's next choice was Voleris, the volatile Mr. Volcano, who let out a gleeful cackle as he mounted the stairs. Then she called Celard, one of Katie's Celtic Guardians, and Ferano, the Flame Swordsman. Both were close to the front of the crowd, and mounted the steps at a run.

Trailing her eyes upward, Onyx found several Harpy Ladies and one Harpy's Brother perched in the limbs of an ancient oak tree that grew next to the mansion. Shaking her head slightly at the image of the monsters behaving like a flock of birds, she raised her hand to get their attention.

"Harun! We'll need you as a scout." Looking surprised, the dark-haired monster opened his wings and glided easily down to the stone platform, bowing briefly to his master before joining the group. Onyx nodded absently as he passed and walked back to the top of the staircase. Her gaze flitted over the monsters below for only seconds before resting on a nearly-naked male monster wielding twin scythe blades. He was Katie's Darkfire Soldier # 1. "Defanis…" she murmured thoughtfully, then repeated herself more firmly. "Defanis! I will take you as well."

The monster nodded silently and came forward, joining the growing group at the top of the stairs. Onyx jerked her head at him in greeting and began pacing silently at the top of the steps. Her eyes were flying over the monsters below now, growing darker as she paced with either impatience or concern. She stopped rather abruptly a second later, a wave of determination overcoming her features. Below, the monsters waited with bated breath, each one hoping that his or her name would be the next one called.

"Susa."

A wave of muttering and whispering swept over the monsters. The Susa Soldier was a dangerous, powerful monster. Although he technically belonged to Katie and Veronique, he was difficult to control and had eventually attacked them in a bid to achieve freedom. His actions had had the opposite effect, however, and resulted in him being locked away. Only the Yamis had the ability to free him. Veronique, her face paling, grasped Onyx's arm and spun the older woman around, hissing at her as she did so.

"Are you out of your mind! Susa's uncontrollable!"

"Maybe. But if I give him enough enemies to destroy, and promise him something he desires in return…"

"You can't be serious. Free him from his oath of service? He'd destroy everything within range of his energy if not bound by the Code of the Monsters."

"I'm the most powerful sorceress in the world, Veronique. I'm sure I can figure something out."

Veronique raised an eyebrow at her. "If you think so…"

"I do."

Veronique just groaned and began to chant. "Time ago we locked thee away, and within thy prison you did stay, but hear us now for what we say, is that thou shalt be freed today."

The instant Veronique finished her chant, the very air around them became charged with electricity. Faint blue-white sparks appeared, dancing in the air, snapping softly whenever someone moved. Any loose clothing immediately became drawn either to the skin it surrounded or the clothing next to it, and those with longer hair found it beginning to point in all directions.

"Susa!" Onyx snapped, and there was a sharp pop. A monster stood before her, tall and dark, grinning widely.

"You called?" The tone was mocking and suggestive, and the way his eyes traveled over her body were even more so. Onyx patently ignored his attitude and pointed at the group of monsters behind her.

"Take your place with the others. You'll be joining us on a rescue mission." When the monster didn't move, Onyx calmly turned to stare at him. They were of nearly equal heights, and Onyx's emerald-green gaze bored steadily into Susa's blue-white one. The monster stared defiantly for a moment, but Onyx won out, her bold eyes flashing until the monster submitted. Spinning to take his place with the others, he left a crackle of energy in his wake that made everyone's hair rise.

Looking unimpressed, Onyx waved a hand over her hair and clothes, using her majic to eliminate the static electricity in them. "Dian Keto, Amystria. You will follow us to provide medical help." As the healer and the Mystical Elf detached themselves from the crowd of disappointed monsters, Onyx turned back to her assembled team.

"The team is set. I have selected each of you based upon the abilities you have demonstrated over the years. I will warn you: your training will pale in comparison to the battle we will experience. If any among you do not wish to be included in this mission, speak now." Garrus, standing at the back of the group, shifted his weight and grimaced, duty and desire fighting within him. Duty won out, rather quickly, and he remained silent. None of the other monsters had spoken.

Onyx raised an eyebrow, looking almost pleased. "Very well. All of you, begin your preparations. You are to gather your own supplies – food, water, weapons, clothing. Expect to be gone for two weeks. I want your horses saddled and ready in an hour and all excess supplies down at the stables, ready to be loaded onto pack horses. Damus, Celtos, Sarah, Veronique, come with me. We have planning to do. The rest of you are dismissed to begin your preparations." Turning back to the crowd of assembled monsters, she raised her voice enough to be heard over the low hum of conversation. "Gaia! I need to speak with you!"

It took a long moment for the monster to make his way up to the platform through the flow of monsters going back to the Village. Once he had scaled the steps, Onyx wasted no time in delivering her orders.

"Gaia, as my horse master these instructions go to you. I want horses ready for each of the monsters I take with me, as well as myself and Sarah. That's twenty-eight in all. For those monsters that do not have horses of their own, assign them mounts. Make sure they have great speed and endurance, for we will need to ride quickly. Also, I want you to prepare the pack horses. Burden them only lightly, and make sure they are fleet of foot. They'll have to keep up with our force. You may take any monsters you wish to help you with these tasks." The knight nodded sharply, his pale eyes blinking slowly behind the narrow eye slits of his helmet, and Onyx knew he was already thinking of which horses were suited to the tasks.

"Once you have done that, report to the dragon caves. You'll be taking aerial watch."

"Yes, Mistress," the monster answered simply. He bowed deeply to the woman and popped out.

Onyx nodded wearily and turned back to the four waiting behind her. "I have something for each of you before we begin preparations. Follow me." And with that, she spun around and vanished into the mansion. The others exchanged confused glances and followed.

Onyx was barely ten steps inside the door when a scramble of feet and a high voice halted her.

"Mistress Onyx! Please, I need to speak with you!" Onyx turned around just as Mirai skidded to a stop beside her, pressing one hand against the wall for balance. "Please, I need to speak with you," the young mage begged. Onyx stared at her wide, pleading eyes for a moment before glancing back over her shoulder at the for behind her. Damus looked concerned, Sarah impatient, and Veronique curious. Celtos wore no expression at all.

"Please wait for me in my quarters," Onyx requested after a moment's thought. "I will speak with Mirai and join you shortly."

They nodded their agreement and quietly departed. Once they were out of earshot, Onyx turned back to the blond mage. "Mirai, what is your trouble?"

The girl took a deep breath before plunging in. "Mistress, please let me ride with you. I know I'm young and inexperienced but Katie-san is like a sister to me and I want to help! I can have Calypso ready in twenty minutes and I can pack and be ready to ride and - "

"Mirai!" The mage flinched at Onyx's raised voice, and the Yami sighed slightly. "Mirai, please, listen to me." Leaning down enough to meet the girl's eyes, Onyx spoke softly. "I won't tell you that you are too young, because you are older than I was when I first rode to war. Nor will I tell you that you are too inexperienced, because you are a very powerful mage when you have control of your abilities."

Setting her hands on Mirai's shoulders, Onyx held the girl's gaze steadily as she continued speaking. "What I will tell you is that you are too innocent." Seeing the surprise and confusion in the mage's eyes, Onyx continued. "You are full of life and light and innocence. I don't ever want to see you become as cold and jaded as I have, and that will happen if you see true battle."

Mirai blinked in astonishment. She'd expected an outright refusal, not a surprisingly honest explanation.

"If we fail, Mirai, the battle will not die with us. It will come back to Sacelon. If that happens, you will be part of the last line of defense." The young mage nodded, her eyes wide, and Onyx nodded back. "Go. Stay with your grandfather and Cayenne. You will be strongest together."

Mirai nodded again, then turned and raced from the house. Onyx sighed again, as she had done many times that day, and began climbing the staircase, destined for her quarters. She had gone only a few steps when she felt a soft tickle at the edge of her mind. Smiling faintly, she opened her mind to Damus' presence, feeling his pleased surprise wash over her.

'That was very kind, Rianna.'

'Yes, well,' she thought back, 'don't tell the others. I have a reputation as a cold-hearted bitch to maintain.' Damus' sad mental sigh was her only response.

Three minutes later, Onyx was standing at the back of her living room, pulling a shroud of bloodred silk off of the ancient wooden chest it had been draped over for over two decades. The others watched her with curiosity written across their features.

"Onyx, what's in that chest?" Sarah inquired softly as Onyx pulled a key out of thin air and worked it into the rusty lock.

"Relics from a bygone age – the age of the King's Mages, to be precise." The lock gave with a squeaky crunch, and Onyx quietly raised the lid of the chest. Looking over her shoulders, the others could see a jumble of polished wood and gleaming metal, most of it so tangled together that it was unidentifiable. Veronique, however, drew in a sharp breath, clearly recognizing at least some of the trunk's contents.

"I know that each of us will somehow play a part in the coming battle," Onyx explained softly as she retrieved a small leather pouch from within the trunk. "So, I am giving to each of you a weapon to aide you. Damus, this gift is yours."

Taking the leather bag in his hands, the mage carefully undid the cord holding it shut and withdrew a small object from within. When held up to the light, it proved to be a polished black stone, shaped like a teardrop, and strung on a thin golden chain. Veronique gave a soft gasp, and Damus wondered if she recognized the gem. Onyx silently walked forward and claimed the stone from his hands, lifting the chain over his head so that the stone hung against his chest, only inches above his amethyst pendant.

"I know that stone," Veronique said softly, confirming Damus' suspicions. "It is the one you used in our first battle. You used it to magnify your power in order to shield the troops."

"Yes," Onyx answered simply. "It is a focus stone." Turning back to Damus, she added, "Use caution with that stone, for it can magnify your power tenfold. Keep it with you throughout the battle, for it will defend you when I cannot." Planting a soft kiss upon his lips, she turned back to the chest and withdrew the next gift.

This time, it was an awkward, bulky package wrapped in a worn oilcloth. Onyx said nothing, simply handed it to Sarah. Murmuring in confusion, the Hikari tugged the cords holding the oilskin closed. When it fell away, she gave a soft cry of delight. Her gift was a crossbow, the polished mahogany and brass gleaming in the torchlight.

"My light, I give to you the very crossbow with which I first trained those many years ago. I bore it with me through battle and its aim never falters." Smiling, Onyx also withdrew a handsome leather quiver of crossbow quarrels from the trunk for her light. While Sarah was exclaiming delightedly over her new weapons, Onyx returned to the trunk and withdrew another oilskin-wrapped package. This one was long, nearly five feet, and from its shape looked to contain a longbow. When Celtos unwrapped it, it proved to be a highly polished longbow of superb craftsmanship. "After our victory over the Dark Mages, I claimed this longbow from their captain's cold hands. By possessing it, I ensured that I would wield his strength as well as my own. I wish you his strength in the coming battle." The Elf bowed deeply to her, at a loss for words. Onyx favored him with a faint smile as she handed him the quiver as well.

Now, all eyes in the room traveled to Veronique. The other Yami was standing at the far side of the room, as close to the door as she could be without going through it. Her face blank, Onyx lifted two more items from the chest. Both were wrapped, but their shape was clear.

"Veronique, my old friend… Come here, and receive your gift."

"I know what you would give me, and I want no part of it," came the sharp reply. "I told you decades ago that I never wanted to see it again."

Onyx raised her eyebrows and turned her gaze to the two bundles she held. A blink of her eye was the only indication of her using her majic before the oilskin wrappings of one bundle fell away. It revealed as it fell a fantastic sword, with a hilt and scabbard of intricately carved silver, set with jet and rubies. In the middle of the scabbard, depicted in the glittering gemstones, was the head of a snarling wolf. It was the symbol that Veronique bore on her armor to this day.

Smiling faintly, Onyx addressed Veronique, who still had not budged from the doorway. "Do you know the best way to slay a demon?"

"To – what?" Caught off guard, the younger Yami stared at her counterpart as though Onyx had sprouted a second head. "With a very sharp sword or a good spell, I would imagine."

"That's a common misconception, but no. If you ask Neo, who has fought them, he will tell you: the weapon that will slay a demon most efficiently is a blade made from that demon's own horn or claw."

Damus smiled a little, understanding what his master implied. "Turn the weapon of the beast against itself."

Onyx nodded at him. "Yes. That is why the weapon I bear into battle will be this." At that, her majic instantly undid the bindings on the second sword, allowing the oilskin to drop away. The sword revealed was nearly identical to Veronique's, save only that the design on the scabbard was a rearing horse.

Veronique's eyes darkened a little as she saw it. "Your old sword," she managed, suppressed anger making her voice harsh. "You told me you destroyed it. You said we would start new lives here, and leave our pasts to burn!"

"Because that was what you needed to hear," Onyx answered sharply, her eyes snapping as she regarded her old friend. "You had lost everything and you were in no condition to hear the truth. But now, we have no choice. We have a demon to slay." With that, she tossed Veronique's sword to her.

The other Yami caught it instinctively, single handed. Her strong fingers curled around the familiar weight of the scabbard, caressing the glittering jewels embedded in it. Her face remained indecisive for a moment, but then hardened with familiar resolve.

With swift movements, she brought the sword down, clasping the scabbard to the belt she always wore. "If the battle comes to me," she said finally, her eyes locked with Onyx's, "I will be ready."

9


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long. Onyx & S and I have been working our butts off to get this in shape. Well, here goes. Disclaimers in pervious chapters.**

* * *

Katie woke up quietly the next morning. She was tired and cold, but she had a plan. She cautiously opened her eyes and saw that Troy had fallen asleep. Slowly she rose, stopping once she was on her feet to make sure he wasn't only pretending. She was able to get past him without him moving, and when she was a short distance away she took off in a run, back towards home. She didn't get far before a horse leapt in front of her, snorting as it was reined in. She skidded to a stop and looked up.

Terror filled her eyes at the sight of the man sitting upon the horse. The man was dressed from head to toe in coal - black armor, the only spark of color being the red sash wrapped around his waist. Panicked, she turned to run to the left but more men appeared. She spun to the right, then to the back, but the men were everywhere. Kate found herself to terrified to think; the men from her vision were surrounding her.

"Where do you think you're going?" One of the men asked.

Kate just froze, wanting to move but she couldn't. Her breathing started to quicken and before she knew it, she had passed out for the first time in her life.

When Kate woke up, she opened her eyes to the unwelcome sight of Troy's face. The man was kneeling next to her. She groaned and rolled over in order to get up.

"I see you've met my men." Troy said as he watched her rise.

Kate just glared at him, still afraid, but unwilling to show it. She pushed herself to her feet and stood still.

"Captain," one of the men said as he walked forward, leading a tall black stud.

"Thank you," Troy murmured absently, taking the reins of the horse.

Kate just stood there, watching everyone within her vision. There were at least fifty soldiers around, and she knew escaping would be next to impossible. While she was distracted watching the men, Troy moved silently up behind her and grabbed her around the waist.

"Hey!" Shrieking with surprise, Katie struggled instinctively, but to no avail. Two soldiers rushed forward, seizing her hands. Within seconds, her wrists were bound together with strong rope. That done, Troy almost casually tossed her onto the back of the black horse, before leaping up gracefully behind her.

Smirking, Troy wrapped one arm possessively around Katie's waist. "Men, I have found what our Lord has been looking for. Let's return to the kingdom with the news!"

Cheers rang out, and the sound made Kate cringe. She struggled to get out of Troy's grip, but it wasn't working. He just tightened it every time she tried to get free. Smirking down at her, Troy pressed his heels into the stallions' sides, urging the horse forward. His men followed, the dull thud of their booted feet sounding like distant thunder.

"You are not going to get away with this, Troy," Kate hissed as she tried pulling free one more time.

He pulled her closer so his mouth was against her ear. "Oh, but I will - and I am," he whispered back, and Kate could not help but cringe.

- - - - - - - - - -

Kate spent an uncomfortable day riding in front of Troy. Aside from being cramped in the saddle with rope chafing her wrists, she was also forced to share his canteen and whatever food his men had brought for him. She also hated the feel of his arms around her.

"We'll be arriving at the castle between tonight and tomorrow morning," Troy explained as they stopped to water the horses at a rushing stream. "Depending upon how much trouble you cause."

Kate just looked straight ahead, willing herself not to react. She couldn't escape now. There were too many of his soldiers, she would be caught in an instant if she tried. Now, she would have to wait for Onyx.

Troy smiled as he urged his stallion across the water. He enjoyed riding like this, feeling the girl wedged tight against his body. He frowned every time he felt her try to move away, but smiled again as he thought of breaking her of that habit.

"Do you know what I am?" He asked her at one point.

Katie turned her head just enough to glare at him. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Troy laughed at her. "I am the Captain of the Kings' army, one of his highest and mightiest warriors!"

"Could have fooled me," she muttered.

Troy let go of the reins with one hand and grabbed her chin, jerking her head so she was looking at him. Katie couldn't help but wince as the muscles in her neck stretched.

"Don't test me, Kate. I know what I want. And when the king is done with the pendants, I'm going to get _exactly_ what I want."

Kate tried jerking her head away, but his fingers held firm. "What do you want?" she finally asked.

Troy grinned before leaning down and kissing her. Kate squirmed and tried to move away, but she stopped when she nearly slipped from the saddle. Instead, she opened her mouth slightly and sank her teeth into his lower lip. Troy jerked back, looking stunned, with blood trailing from his mouth.

"Bastard!" Katie spat at him.

Troy drew back his hand and struck her hard across the face, sending blood spattering from her nose. "You will learn to obey me, wench, if I have to break every bone in your body!"

"I will obey NO ONE!" she snarled back, her eyes watering from the pain.

Troy leaned close to her, his fingers pinching her jaw so hard they would certainly bruise. "You will learn," he told her, his voice deadly soft. A spasm of terror went through Katie at that – she had heard Onyx use the tone to many times not to be afraid.

Troy wiped his bloody mouth on the back of his hand, took up his reins, and urged the horse on again.

- - - - - - - - -- - - -

They rode on for most of the day and finally stopped as night began to fall. Kate was glad when she was lifted down from the horse to rest. She wanted nothing more than to get away from Troy. Being near him made her feel dirty and used, and she hated the sensation. She longed briefly for her rooms, her marble tub filled with steaming water. She wanted to bathe, see if she could scrub away the horrible feeling that Troy left on her skin.

She sat down awkwardly next to a tree and let her mind take her back home. She had no memories from before the age of five, but if she strained, she could recall Veronique being almost like a mother to her. She knew that the Yami had done everything a mother would; raised her, taught her how to read and write, how to use her majic, how to defend herself. Veronique may not have been her birth mother, but she was the closest thing Katie could have wished for.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kate kept her senses alert as she let her mind wander, seeking a more pleasant time, hoping it would ease the stress. Finally, she settled on the day she had first met Neo, over six years ago.

She had been fourteen at the time, and Veronique had essentially forced her to go to Mirai's birthday celebration. Mirai was just turning thirteen, and that was the coming-of-age for young Mages. The celebration itself was out on the big stone platform. Long wooden tables had been moved out to the platform, to hold the feast being brought from the kitchen. The mood was cheerful, and there was plenty of good food, good drink and good laughs. Kate, at that point rather shy and uncomfortable in crowds, had retreated to the meeting-room. She stood near the large windows and watched the monsters and their masters having a wonderful time.

She had left the door partly open, and therefore did not hear it being pushed open the rest of the way, or hear the careful stride of a boot on the floor.

"Amazing isn't it?" came a voice from behind her, and Katie whirled aroundShe turned quickly, knocking over a vase but caught it before it could hit the ground. Standing in the doorway was a monster she had never seen before with long blonde hair and topaz eyes. She stared at him, unable to say anything and feeling for some reason like a kid caught with their hand in sweets jar.

"I…well that is…I um…." She kept stumbling, trying to find something to say as she put the vase back up and kept from looking him in the eye again.

A smile twitched at the corner of Neo's lips as he stepped further into the room. Kate busied herself with running her fingers over the vase. She was quiet and didn't look at him at all. He walked over and leaned against the back of a chair.

"This is a nice place, Sacelon."

Kate just nodded in agreement and continued to run her fingers along the vase.

He watched her with curiosity. "What's your name little one?"

Kate looked up slightly. His topaz eyes were watching her and quickly she looked away, turning her back to him and walking over to the far wall to 'examine' a tapestry.

"You haven't answered me." He said, not moving.

"Kate." She whispered, only glancing over her shoulder at him for a second.

"What's bothering you?" He asked as he moved around to the other side to sit in the chair.

Slowly she walked around the outside of the room, not making eye contact with him. "Nothing is bothering me."

Neo sighed and just sat where he was, taking in the room and watching the young girl at the same time. She looked back over her shoulder at him and quickly looked away when she saw he was looking at her.

"Why won't you look at me?" He asked, curiosity laced in his voice.

"I just can't." She said as she fiddled with a chair on the other side of the room.

He looked back outside. "Please, what is the occasion for the crowd? And why are you not a part of it? Surely someone as lovely as yourself would be on the arm of a handsome male for such a gathering."

She blushed a little and looked over at him. "I-I don't like crowds."

The smile continued to twitch at his lips as he stood up and asked, "I'm not fond of them either. Would you do me the honors of showing me around this place? Surely you know your way around here."

She looked him in the eye and smiled. "I can do that."

"Good." He walked over and held out his arm. Kate hesitated for a moment before taking it and walking with him out of the room.

She smiled as she recalled the way he had acted the rest of that day. He had made jokes and gotten her to smile. Finally, the uneasiness she had felt upon first meeting him had left her body and was replaced with a strange comfort.

Mentally backtracking, Katie focused her memory on the scene on the stone platform. Staring down through the window, she lost herself in the memory of watching the monsters and people below her. Everyone attending the party had worn their best clothes, instead of their usual dueling attire. At the far side of the patio, she could see Onyx and Damus standing together, deep in discussion. The older Yami was wearing a long gown of jet-black silk, the bodice decorated with beads of jet and gold embroidery forming an intricate design. She had looked far different then than she did now – her hair fell only to the middle of her back, her eyes were not so cold, and her face was not so narrow. Damus, standing beside her, was wearing robes of darkest purple, with silver thread and amethyst stones glittering around the hem and cuffs. He was clearly younger, but little else about him had changed. In the midst of the crowd, Mirai could just be made out, proudly showing off the mage's staff to everyone around her. She was wearing robes almost identical to those of her older brother, though in a much lighter shade of purple, and her thick hair was tied up in a high ponytail. She had been so young then, only thirteen. Her body, which now showed the curves of a woman, had been almost boyish then, long and lanky, greatly resembling her brother's. Although she had not grown much taller, her figure had changed considerably.

Katie's mental eyes moved again, seeking other people in the crowd. Her gaze found her Yami first, and she smiled as she saw the woman. Veronique had changed even more than Onyx had in those long years. Her hair had fallen only to her shoulders then, and her face was open, cheerful. Her eyes were wide with the vigor of youth, and her face had shown none of the strain and concern that it held now, years later.

Smiling to herself, Katie glanced around the group on the platform until she found her own counterpart among the shifting crowd. Sarah, young and vibrant at fifteen, was speaking animatedly to Celtos, one hand clasping her drink, the other gesturing animatedly as she described… something. At that point, Sarah had been too young to see the lust beginning in Celtos' golden eyes. They had begun their relationship about a year later, when Sarah's combat training had been transferred to Celtos, who generally fought in nothing more than a pair of loose pants.

Soon after remembering these things, Kate fell into a quiet, yet alert sense of sleep.

- - - - - -

A timid knock on the main door of her quarters lifted Onyx's head from where it sat, bent painfully over decades worth of crumbling parchment maps.

"Come," she called wearily, and heard the door squeak slightly as it opened.

Light, quick footsteps, slightly uneven, made their way over the stone floor of her living room. She could tell by the sound that they belonged to her light - Sarah had a barely-noticeable limp in her right leg that made her strides uneven.

"I'm in my office," she called over her shoulder, picking up her quill again.

She heard the footsteps stop at the office door a moment later and nodded slightly in acknowledgement, although her back was to it.

"What's troubling you, little one?" Even without looking, she could sense the tension in her light. It radiated through their link, crashing over Onyx like waves onto the shore. Carefully, she dampened the link so that her light's tension would not affect her, as well.

"I'm afraid, Onyx."

The admission startled the Yami - Sarah rarely admitted to fear - and she paused in with her quill poised over the half-finished map she'd been drawing.

"Afraid of what, exactly?"

There was silence for a moment, and Onyx turned in her chair to glance at her light. The girl was pale, her jaw set, twisting her fingers together so tightly her knuckles were white.

"Hikari?"

"I'm scared of so many things, Onyx!" Sarah burst out. "I'm scared of leaving Sacelon, I'm scared of the coming battle, I'm terrified at the thought of never seeing Katie again - "

Onyx dropped her quill on the desk and held up her hand, silencing the girl easily. "You are human," she reminded the girl, her dark emerald eyes peircing into the girl's grey-green ones. "It is natural to fear the unknown. It's what keeps you alive."

"Then it's not... cowardly?"

Onyx almost laughed despite herself. "Of course not. I was terrified the first time I rode to battle, and I'd been training for war my entire life. Feeling fear doesn't make you a coward, little one. Only surrendering to it will."

Smiling, Onyx muttered a charm over the quill so that it might finish copying the map without assistance, then pushed away from the desk and stood up.

"Come," she said, dropping one hand on her light's shoulders. "Let's go make sure all the horses are ready."

Down at the stables, Celtos and Gaia walked side-by side down the long line of horses standing outside the barn. Each one was fully tacked and waiting patiently, although none of them were tied. Although there would be not even thirty riders, there were nearly fifty horses there. The extras were burdened with the supplies that would be required for the journey into battle - food and water, extra weapons, maintenence quipment for the animals, tack, and riders. All of them were fine animals, sleek-bodied and fit. Celtos reached the end of the line where his own chestnut stallion, Cadiban, stood silently between Damus' horse, a peculiarity with a black coat and a silver-white mane and tail, and Sarah's stallion Trinity.

From the corner of his eye, Celtos caught a glimpse of movement from the Mansion. Sarah and Onyx were walking down the staircase, both clearly destined for the stables.

"Well, good luck to you," Gaia said, glancing back at the approaching women. "I'm due in the dragon caves."

"With any luck, we won't need luck," Celtos answered. "But thank you."

Gaia shook his head slightly and popped out, leaving Celtos to wait silently as other members of the party began to drift in from the Village. Soon, very soon, they would all be riding into war.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry everyone, fell way behind. Here we go. Diclaimers in perivous chapters.**

* * *

The next morning Kate woke before dawn and slowly sat up. She was exhausted even though she had slept relatively well. She couldn't focus so instantly she set her senses out and began to speak within the walls of her mind.

'Neo,' her voice rang out within the pendants.

Neo jerked to attention causing his horse to shift beneath him. 'Kojika?'

'Neo, I'm scared. We're close to the kingdom. They've tied me up.'

'We're coming Kojika.'

'But what if you don't get here in time? What if they kill me?'

'Don't think like that,' he answered, trying to keep his nerve. 'I know you. You won't let anyone kill you. Be strong for Veronique, for Onyx, for Sarah and for me.'

Tears streaked from her closed eyes. 'I'm just frightened. The visions have come true so far and now I'm being taken somewhere so they can steal my pendants and Troy can….'

'Don't think like that either. Be strong and remember I love you. I always will, no matter what happens.'

'I-I will try.'

'Keep strong. Remember what I've taught you. Stay in control of your emotions and don't let Troy touch you in any way.'

'I will be strong.'

'Just remember I'm coming for you.'

'I do.'

With that their conversation ended. Kate jerked her eyes open as she sensed Troy getting closer to her. She could always tell when he was near now. His presence made her stomach twisted and her body fell cold.

- - - - - - - - -

Onyx turned in her saddle as she heard Neo gasp behind her. A single glance at his face told her what she needed to know. Relief at first; Katie had contacted him, then pain; the news was obviously not good; then a grim expression that said he was trying to reassure her.

"I take it the news is ill?" Onyx questioned him privately once he'd ended the conversation.

"She fears for her life." He answered simple and Onyx cursed under her breath.

"Everyone, prepare to move out!" the Yami shouted suddenly, her eyes flashing with barely suppressed fury. Behind them a dragon's shrill scream hit the air as Daragon guided Rojaron into the still dark sky.

The rescue party and all their horses were waiting for dawn near the west end of the village, close to the door to the outside world. When questioned why they hadn't started earlier, Onyx had grumbled something about protective charms working best at dawn and left it as that.

"Onyx!" The older Yami twisted in her saddle, glancing down at Veronique. She hadn't heard her approach over the constant jangling of armor, bits and weapons.

"Veronique, are you sure you will be all right?"

The younger spirit was pale, her eyes dark and her cheeks sunken. She seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

"No, I'm not sure. I need my Hikari back."

"We'll get her back." Onyx replied, leaning down to squeeze the woman's shoulder.

"You sound so sure."

"She is sure." Sarah interrupted as she pushed Trinity up next to Masabi. "She's Onyx."

"No." Veronique answered, looking at the ruby-hilted sword and the red and black shield her counterpart carried. "She's Victorianna."

Onyx's mouth twisted a little at that, but she didn't reply. The door to the outside opened at her command and Veronique leapt back as fifty horses streamed out the door at a full gallop. Veronique stood in that empty doorway long after the rescue party vanished from sight. It was not until Garrus came up behind her and set his hand on her shoulder that she reacted at all. Silently slipping away from him, she waved a hand to make the door vanish.

"Good luck," she whispered as the outside world faded from sight and she turned and walked back to the village not bothering to wipe away the one tear that ran down her face.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

Troy's soldiers had been riding most of the day when the sky had abruptly darkened. Kate felt a shudder run through her. She could tell they were getting closer to the kingdom, the last place on Earth she wanted to be.

The land around them had begun to change. Instead of green fields and forests, there was barren ground scattered with boulders. The path they were taking was clear but Kate froze when they crested the hill. Fear and terror filled her body at what she saw. Below her lay a kingdom as grey and dismal as a tomb.

The castle was shaped in a shallow curve, five stories tall with great turrets that bristled like spears. Between the turrets was a high wall where the soldiers walked. On the fourth story was a balcony, ringed by a waist-high railing of wrought iron. Extending straight out on either side of the great, barren courtyard were four enormous towers, eight in all. Through the darkness she could see people emerging from these towers, many brandishing torches. Everyone was dressed in shades of black and grey. In the torchlight, they looked more like shadows then true humans. Every face was grim as Troy rode by, and Kate could see mothers pushing their children back into doorways. The men glared up at Troy and his men but none spoke.

Closest to the castle, nearly against its edges were two great piles of rubble – the only remnants of the two greatest houses of the king. A rumor that the rubble had been cursed by its last inhabitants had kept it from being cleared away, so it had festered where it lay for nigh two hundred years.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Kate felt so cold in this place. It was nothing like Sacelon. There was no love, no beauty, and no happiness in this kingdom. Its people had no light in their eyes, only fear, anger and despair. It was like looking into dark voids. Kate shivered as they moved on. They rode up through the dark wooden gates into the main courtyard. Kate stared up at the great height of the castle and felt the breath leave her lungs for moment. She moved her eyes back down to the front steps. There on the very top stood a dark figure, cloaked by the blackness of night. Troy stopped his horse and dismounted before pulling Kate with him. He dragged her up the marble steps and forced her to her knees before the shadowed figure. Troy himself bowed before he spoke.

"My Lord." Troy said. "I have returned with news and a kingly gift."

Kate slowly lifted her head to look at the man. The light from numerous torches hit him now. He was tall, perhaps a little over six feet. His hair had been dark once, but was now grey as storm clouds. His face bore the lines of age, but Kate realized that that was deceptive. The man's broad shoulder suggested his power – Kate had no doubt he could kill with his bare hands. He was dressed entirely in black, and a long cloak hung from his shoulders. His eyes were the darkest shade of pewter- grey, and when he looked down at her, Kate felt a sudden chill.

Upon his head he wore a silver crown in a design Kate had never seen before. The crown rose to a high peak over the center of his forehead. At it's apex sat a diamond-shaped piece of polished jet, gleaming darkly. Below that a splendid ruby nestled deep into the silver of the crown. Etched lines spanned out from the ruby making it look like a blood red sun.

'Black and red.' Kate thought. Those two colors were everywhere, darkness and blood. This kingdom was bathed in them both.

"What is this Captain?" he demanded, and his voice made Kate shiver again. It was deep and cold and completely without mercy.

"My Lord, maybe we should go inside to discuss this." Troy said, bowing once more.

The King turned and walked inside. Troy grabbed Kate's arm and pulled her up before walking her into the castle. That cold feeling just got worse as she entered the darkness of the building. There were torches everywhere in the black hallway but still Kate felt cold seeping through her body. Troy followed his king into a large sitting room where a fire was lit. The King stood by the fire while Troy pushed Kate into a chair of black velvet.

"My Lord, I have found the hidden village," Troy announced without preamble. "It is called Sacelon and it's full of majical beings."

The King's eyes narrowed. "And how do you know all of this, Captain?" he demanded, turning his cold gaze on Troy.

"Because, this young woman is one of the masters of the village. She has powers that can be of use to you, My Lord. She commands part of an army that is strong enough to take over any land."

The king's eyes fell on Kate. "This young woman?"

"Yes My Lord."

"Well Captain, it seems you have indeed brought back a kingly gift. Tonight, we will feast in honor of this gift," The king said before calling to some servants. Turning from them, the King clapped his hands twice. Two servants entered at once, one a young woman, the other, a man. Both wore clothes of rough grey cloth and both looked as dismal as the rest of the kingdom.

"Take this young woman upstairs. Have her cleaned and dressed for dinner. There will be a feast tonight in her honor." The King's cold, mocking tone did nothing to reassure Katie.

"Yes, My Lord." The young woman said as she took Kate's arm.

"Yes, My Lord." The young man said before leaving to alert the kitchens.

"You must tell me more about these powers and this army at dinner, Captain." The King said.

"Yes My Lord."

"Go rest and prepare for dinner."

"Thank you, My Lord." Troy said before bowing once again and walking from the room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The young woman took Kate up several flights of stairs to a large bedroom. The first thing she did was to untie Kate's hands. Grateful, Kate rubbed the raw skin as the young girl walked away.

"I'll start your bath, My Lady." The young woman said.

Kate didn't say anything, just looked around the room. Everything was in dark colors. The wood of the simple furniture was so dark it was nearly black and the curtains of the windows, as well as the bedclothes and hangings were all of the darkest crimson. The only decoration in the room was a large tapestry on the far wall. Scowling, Kate walked over to the far wall, and looking closely at the tapestry. It depicted two warriors on horseback surveying a battlefield. The field itself was strewn with corpses of men in black robes while the army of the two warriors stood, mostly unharmed. There was something eerie in this tapestry, it looked familiar. She was so deeply involved in examining it that she did not hear the soft footsteps behind her. When a gentle hand landed on her shoulder, she reacted on instinct; seizing the arm she spun around, twisting it behind its owners back. Only then did she realize it was the servant girl.

"I-I'm sorry." Kate said as she let the girl go.

The girl looked startled and rubbed her arm as she backed away from Kate. She had black hair but her eyes were a dark blue, and stood out form her pale face.

"Th-they say you are a witch," she mumbled, clearly fearful.

Kate sighed. "I am no witch. I'm but a human being who is misunderstood."

The girl stared at Kate for a moment. Kate thought she saw something in her eyes that she hadn't seen in anyone else since she arrived.

"Well, your bath is ready." The girl said finally, still uneasy.

Kate nodded and followed the young lady through a door into the washroom where there was a tub of hot water. The girl just stood there for a moment before Kate spoke up.

"I can handle it from here, thank you."

"Yes My Lady. I will pick out a dress for you."

"Thank you." Kate replied.

When the girl had left, Kate cautiously peeled her clothes off, stacking them on the washstand. She did not remove her pendants of course but sank gratefully into the steaming water. It felt good around her body; it was taking that cold away. She dunked her head under the water before washing and drying off. When she was finished the young lady came back in with a dress. She helped Kate into it but stopped when she saw a long scar on Kate's lower back.

"My Lady, if you do not mind my asking, what happened?"

Kate looked over her shoulder. "I'm not sure. I've had that since I was young."

They pulled the dress on and fastened it. Kate wasn't thrilled by it. The sleeves fell to her elbows before hanging down off of her arms, almost to the floor. It was dark green and had a square cut neck that exposed her breasts slightly. It was soft though and fit nicely to her surprise. The young girl brushed Kate's hair and tied it up for her even though Kate would have preferred to do it herself. Now she had to wait for Troy before she could go down and meet her fate.

Troy had washed and changed his clothes, and now he walked to the room where Kate was being held. He greeted the guard before opening the door and walking in. He stepped inside as Kate stood up and turned. He couldn't help but stare. She looked amazing. He walked in and gently took her hand.

"Come, we must not keep our King waiting."

Kate just sighed and let Troy lead her downstairs to the dining room. It was lit by torches and was of course darkly colored. Kate wondered briefly why the castle was kept in darkness. When they reached the dimly lit dining hall, Kate was seated between Troy and the king. They sat quietly for a moment before the king began to speak.

"Explain all of this to me, Captain." The King ordered as their food was served.

Troy grinned before telling the king all about his mission and findings. He left out a few parts, mostly his attraction to the young hostage and his arguments with Neo.

"They are very powerful people, Sire. They command armies of almost indestructible men and women. They have powers that I think are from their pendants."

He motioned to the ones hanging around Kate's neck. Instantly, the girl wrapped her fingers around them as if protecting them from harm.

"Now Sire, this girl is quite an amazing treasure in herself." Troy said, after relating what little he knew about the pendants to the King.

"She can heal any wound inflicted upon her before your very eyes."

The king looked up. "Is that true?" He looked at Kate only to find her glaring at Troy.

"Yes." Troy pulled his dagger off his belt and grabbed Kate's hand before she could stop him. He dragged the dagger across her skin at her wrist, slicing it open. Kate cried out in pain and pulled her hand away.

"Heal it now!" Troy commanded.

Kate glared at him as fiercely as she could. She would have refused but she would have bled to death had she done so. Moving her arm so that he could see it, she healed it right before the eyes of the king. Troy wiped the blood away to show not even a mark was left.

"Amazing," the king murmured, reaching out to brush his fingers across her wrist. Kate recoiled and he withdrew his hand, frowning.

"That is not all my lord." Troy continued.

Kate growled. "I will not let you use me and my powers for evil!"

"You will do as the King commands!" Troy growled back, moving to rise from his chair.

"I will NOT!"

Troy rose from his seat in a move too fast to follow and brought his fist down across her face, bruising her cheek and causing her to spit out blood.

"You will do as you are told!" He commanded.

- - - - - -

In the middle of the river crossing, Neo cried out and seized his saddle pommel to prevent himself from falling off.

"Neo?" Celtos, the closest to him reached over and caught the swordsman by the arm.

"Ow…" Raising one hand to his mouth, Neo gasped when his fingers came away wet with blood.

"Neo?" Onyx, already on the other bank, turned Masabi around.

"Kate's hurt." He said simply, then healed his own injury and pushed Steel to a canter.

Grimly Onyx reined her horse around and pushed Masabi into a canter as well, forcing the others to follow. The horses were all well bred and kept fit, and could trot and canter most of the day if need be. Thus far, they had covered ground at a steady trot, and would most likely continue through the night.

"Pick up the pace!" Onyx shouted back, spurring Masabi on to a swift gallop.

It meant they would have to walk them to cool later but it would be quicker this way. With a roar of hoof beats like distant thunder, the entire group moved to a gallop.

In the castle, Kate raised her head, her bloody mouth twisting into a slight smile. "My friends are coming."


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry about the delay folks. Onyx & S and I have been really busy lately but here it is…..**

**Disclaimer in previous chapters.**

* * *

Kate made it through the rest of the dinner without incident, although she hated what she was hearing. She was finally escorted back upstairs and locked in her room once more. Escape would be near to impossible. There were guards outside her door, Troy in a room down the hall, and several stories between her and the ground. Kate was actually grateful to be by herself for a few moments. She walked over to a dark crimson velvet chair by the fire and sat down.

- - - - - - - - - -

Back downstairs, Troy stood before an enormous tapestry map, indicating different positions around the kingdom to the king.

"Sacelon is located within this area. It has been hidden by enchantments, but I can find it again easily with the girl. She knows the spell that will open the door to the village."

The King listened intently as Troy began to speak of a plan.

"The other masters know I have her and will be planning an attack." Troy explained, one hand still resting over Sacelon's location on the map.

"What do you suggest?" The King asked, examining the respective positions of Sacelon and Lohan.

"I would send two hundred men out under the command of Lieutenant Jacob. Have them spread out slightly in groups of twenty to make them harder targets. That force should at least slow down any attempts to rescue our young friend."

The King nodded slightly before looking back up at Troy with narrowed eyes. "You said the monsters they command are powerful, nearly indestructible."

"My Lord, we will certainly have the girl's pendants figured out by then. We can easily take control of their army and turn them against their masters, then capture or destroy the rest. Once we have the pendants under your control, you will be the most powerful man in all the land. Not only will you control the majic of Sacelon, but an indestructible army as well."

The King grinned widely. "I believe you have a plan, Captain."

Troy's smile revealed nothing but evil.

-------------------------------------------

Night had fallen, but the rescue party continued onward. Sarah had tied Trinity's reins loosely to his saddle-horn and fallen fast asleep, sitting upright in the saddle. Her horse continued walking besides Onyx and Masabi, never once breaking his gait. Celtos, Gartic, and the two wolves were scouting a short ways ahead of the two masters, ensuring that they would not encounter any soldiers without warning.

Onyx glanced up, her eyes hollow, as Neo pushed Steel up next to her stallion.

"Mistress," he acknowledged briefly, and tried to push on past her, but Onyx caught his rein and pulled the gelding back.

"Have a care for your horse, Neo. Let him walk with the others for a time."

"Time is a luxury we do not have, Mistress," the swordsman replied, staring at her gauntleted hand as though debating the best way to dislodge it.

"The King will not harm her," Onyx informed him sharply. "Nor will he allow Troy to do so. She is their one key to the door of power."

"Unless they manage to capture you or Sarah-sama," Neo answered sourly, his face twisting. Onyx's hand tensed on his reins, but after a moment she released him again, frowning.

"Fall back with the rest of the group, and do not exceed a walk on that horse until you are directly ordered to do so," she ordered coldly, her eyes flashing fire. Neo cursed under his breath and reined the gelding around, looking mutinous, but did as he was ordered.

As he fell back, Damus came forward, easily slipping Marshilo into the space between Trinity and Masabi.

"Dissension in the ranks?"

Onyx looked at him, her expression weary. "I can't say that I blame him. Tell everyone that's awake that we'll stop at dawn, get a little rest and finalize our strategy. The King should be sending an advance force to meet us, but it would help to know how many, and when."

Damus nodded, then wheeled Marshilo around to carry out his order. A moment later, the two wolves bounded out of the darkness to dance at Masabi's feet, their tongues lolling. Onyx murmured praise to them and looked up, her keen eyesight making out the shapes of the two Elves at the side of the path. Their horses were halted and dozing.

Onyx lifted a hand to greet them. "What news, gentlemen?"

"Nothing of note save a peculiar landmark, my Lady," Gartic answered. "A hill, perhaps a hundred feet high, and crested by three tall stones."

"Ah!" Onyx murmured, drawing her stallion to an abrupt stop and gazing at the Elves. "Did they have inscriptions on them?"

"They did, Mistress, but we could not read them, the symbols were too strange," Celtos replied. Onyx chuckled deep in her throat and urged her stallion on again. The two Elves exchanged glances and fell in beside her at a steady walk.

"The stone on the left reads 'Glory,' the stone on the right 'Control,' and the center stone reads 'Power.' We are now one hundred miles from the castle."

The two Elves exchanged bewildered glances, but said nothing. When Onyx remained silent, the two reined their horses back to the main group and let the Yami have her peace.

--------------------------------------------------

After another hour with the King, Troy was dismissed. He made his way up the stairs to the dim hallway where his quarters lay. Walking past his own door, he stopped at the one Katie was behind. He nodded at the guard there, and the soldier hastily unlocked the door to allow Troy entry. His eyes wondered around the room until finally landing on the figure seated in the chair by the fire.

Slowly and as quietly as he could, Troy made his way towards her. Kate had dozed off in the chair with her chin resting on the arm. Her whole body ached with weariness, but as soon as she heard a floor board squeak, she opened her eyes and stood straight up, spinning towards the noise. She glared into the eyes of the man who betrayed her.

"What do you want?" she growled, stepping away from him.

Troy smirked as he looked her up and down. "You look stunning, my dear."

Kate felt nausea roll through her at those words. "I will not let you take my pendants and use me for evil."

"Oh, you will do as you are told if you wish to live," Troy replied in a dangerously soft tone.

"What is it that you are going to make me do?" Katie snarled, trying to stare him down.

"First, we are going to make you give us the pendants. We will use them to destroy your Village and seize control of your monsters. When that is done, I am going to make you do as I wish," he replied with a smile of pure evil.

Kate wanted to be sick at that point, but she stood her ground and kept staring. "I will never do anything for you."

Before she could blink, Troy was in front of her, his hands like vices around her arms. "You will do as I say when I say or you will pay with your life."

Kate gasped as he pulled her against him in that uncomfortable position once more. She stared into his eyes, her own blazing with repressed fury.

"I will never love you. I will never give myself to you. I love Neo and I would never betray him!."

Enraged, Troy growled and pulled her around towards the bed, forcing her down on it. He grabbed her wrists and held them over her head, using his body to pin hers.

"You will be mine. I will have you, even if I have to take you by force and kill that….that thing you call your lover."

"No!" Kate cried out, struggling to free herself from his hold.

"You will be mine!" Troy said snarled, leaning over her until his lips were less than an inch from her own. At that moment, however, there was a clatter from the hallway outside, and Troy leapt away from Kate as though he'd been burned. "I will have you," he spat, then turned on his heel and stormed from the room.

Kate sat up on the bed and cried. Her body shook and her face became wet as anger, frustration, sadness and fear all left her body within the tear drops.

"I will get out of this alive," she vowed to herself. "I will return to Sacelon and the ones I love."

- - - - - - - - - -

When the sun broke over the horizon, the monsters gratefully pulled their horses to a stop in a small clearing. It was ringed with trees and scattered with large boulders. Some of the monsters were unaccustomed to riding, and none of them were accustomed to riding for twenty-four hours straight, even Onyx. Susa complained loudly about the long ride, his horse, and Onyx in general until Damus lost his temper and struck the other monster across the face hard enough to knock him to the ground. It took the combined forces of Sarah and the three Elves to separate them after that.

Onyx, having dismounted earlier, had pulled several rolls of parchment from her saddlebags and was unfurling them over the tops of several flat rocks. Sarah, Damus and Celtos returned to her side once Susa had been secured – an enchanted rope from Damus' pack worked nicely – and waited for the Yami's instructions.

"We are currently here," she explained, tapping her finger against the map. "The castle," here she lifted her other hand, placing it at the far edge of the map, "is here. We still have nearly ninety miles left to ride." Raising her head, she eyed the position of the sun. "It is not yet the fifth hour. Within the next three days, the King will most likely dispatch a scout-force to meet us."

When the others stared at her, she shrugged slightly. "My tutor told me that the battle tactics of the King and his army had not changed in over two thousand years. I doubt the last two centuries have wrought much change. If Katie can learn it, she will tell us how many soldiers we face, and when." Clearing her throat slightly, she angled the map so the others could see it more clearly, and continued. "The boarder of the central city is here. When we pass into it, you will know. The land is accursed; there is no light in it now."

"There is light," Neo snapped abruptly from nearby. "There is Katie's light."

"True enough," Onyx answered. "Now, our duty is to destroy the darkest force in the kingdom, the bloodline of the King, so that lights like Katie's may shine unhindered once again." Standing up, she raised her voice to address all of the monsters. "You have an hour to rest. Use it well."

Gartic, Neo, and Pyon, to restless to sleep, remained awake, pacing back and forth. Pyon, Katie's second in command, and Neo, her lover, spoke in soft murmurs of happier times with the young light. Gartic, quiet by nature, walked by himself and said nothing, clearly preoccupied with thoughts of his own dark Mistress.

Onyx awoke just as the sixth hour dawned. Within ten minutes, the horses and their riders were moving again, exhausted but willing. At the best pace they could muster, they rode for Lohan and for war.

----------------------

The next morning Kate woke to find herself lying across the bed, still wearing the dress from the night before. She had cried herself to sleep after Troy's departure. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. If she was going to survive this ordeal, she knew she must be strong. Mentally, she tried to prepare herself for what was to come. Rising to the bed, she walked to the washstand and splashed her face in cool water from the basin there before opening the wardrobe. It was full of dresses, something she wore little and liked less. Although the garments were clearly quite expensive, she glared at them in disgust. She chose navy blue, the closest one to black she could find, to match her dark mood, and stripped out of the one she was wearing. She slipped on the new one without much trouble, and waved her hand over the back of the dress to fasten it. Although she was wary of using her majic here, she had little choice – she felt vulnerable when she was undressed, and refused to let anyone make here feel vulnerable now. Even if it was just a lady's maid. She brushed out her hair and pinned it up. Looking at her reflection in a mirror, Kate felt ridiculous.

The sound of a key being placed in the lock quickly turned her head. Her hearing has improved over the years, even if her ability to read people had not. She shook her head to dislodge the negative train of thought, quickly turning her thoughts back to Neo. He would come for her. She waited and watched as the girl from the previous day entered the room.

"My Lady, I was sent to…." The girl stopped short at the sight of Kate already dressed. She hid her surprise quickly, however, bowed, and left the room.

As she disappeared, Kate let out the breath she had been holding. She inhaled again when Troy stepped into the room a second later. He said nothing at first, just let his eyes rove over her body as they always did.

"Come, we must meet the king for breakfast," he said finally, holding out his arm.

Kate ignored the proffered limb and walked past him, into the hall. Troy strode after her and caught her elbow, more tightly than he'd intended.

"You will do what the King demands, or - "

"Or what?" she growled, cutting him off. "You'll never learn anything if you kill me."

Troy stared at her for a moment, shocked. "True," he managed, and without further comment, pulled her along the hall, down the many stairs and finally into the dining room where they had dined the night before.

This time, Kate gasped at the sight. The entire table was surrounded by men. At least a hundred people, all of them male, were standing behind their chairs, waiting for the King. As Troy pulled her down the long table, she studied each face in turn. Some were empty, holding no emotions at all, save perhaps resignation. A few were angry, some weary, many looking grim or apathetic. A few of the faces still had life in them, looking curious or hungry. Only one looked very calm. This man's eyes followed Katie until the King appeared and took his own seat. In the wave of movement that followed as all the men sat, Katie lost sight of the young man's grey eyes.

As servants appeared with the meal, the King raised his hand for silence, commanding the attention of his guests. "Men, today we are graced with a great gift. Captain Meyers has found the hidden city, a great source of power, and has crafted a plan to seize it's power for ourselves and the glory of this kingdom!"

The men applauded loudly until the King raised his hand again.

"Today, we will be sending out a group of two hundred men. Lieutenant Jacobs," here he nodded to the calm-looking man, "you will be in charge of the men. We will have more details after breakfast in the conference room. Now, we eat!"

Kate felt very nausea roll through her again. This morning, she had possessed the foresight to tuck her pendant into the front of her dress, but the material was thin enough that the distinctive glow of communication would still be seen. Thinking quickly, she whispered a rapid spell that would make the fabric completely opaque, but only for a brief time. In the few seconds she was given, she fired off a rapid warning and hoped it would be enough.

'Neo, two hundred men ride to meet you this afternoon. Be prepared to fight.'


	18. Chapter 17

8

**A/N: Here we go. The Next chapter. Thank you Onyx and S for the help in creating the scenes to follow. I must warn you readers. This does get a bit descriptive. If we offend anyone, out apologies.**

After breakfast, Kate had been sent back to her room to be locked away once again. Although the dark room had a claustrophobic feel to it, she dared not open the curtains on the window. She knew she was on the third floor and she knew she hated heights with a passion. With nothing to occupy her mind, she settled in the crimson velvet chair and wondered what was going to happen. Certainly, Onyx would meet those men on the battlefield, but how would it turn out? For the first time in days, an honest laugh escaped her: Onyx will surely win the day. Kate had seen Onyx in the sparring ring, fighting through broken bones and bloody gashes. No matter what happened to her, Onyx would take care of Troy and his soldiers.

At that moment, a dark thought entered her head again, one she had not been able to shake since her capture. What if, for some reason, Kate lost her life in this mess? The thought was horrifying. If she was killed, what would happen to Neo? Pain like she had never felt lanced through her heart. She knew without a doubt that her death would destroy the swordsman. He would break down completely, and likely never recover. Onyx would mourn silently, invisibly, expressing her grief in rare fits of fury. Sarah would grieve as though she had lost a sister, as the two were indeed very close. And Veronique? It would mean the dark woman would have lost half of her soul. She and Kate were bonded – they had been more than fifteen years now. Briefly, Kate wondered if Veronique would even survive with her gone. Then she shook her head violently and scrambled from her chair, ridding her mind of thoughts of death.

She paced the room for a few moments, trying to think of something else, anything else. Nothing was forthcoming, but a faint tickle on the edge of her mind made her pause in mid-step. Fear of heights or not, something possessed her to peak out the window. Drawing aside the heavy velvet curtains, she sucked in a horrified breath. Three stories below her, a shifting sea of horses and men filled the courtyard. Supplies were being bundled, and even from her high room, she could hear the clatter-jangle of tack being moved and weapons tested.

"Oh, no.."

What she was seeing so far below was the advanced force. The soldiers were preparing to ride.

Lieutenant Jacobs stared at the swarming mass of men and horses filling the courtyard. Two hundred unranked, uneducated and untested soldiers who thought that their king was the be-all and end-all of justice and integrity. Two hundred absolute fools, under the command of ten sergeants just as foolish as the soldiers they commanded. And, if the rumors were true, he was leading them all into a battle to their deaths.

The two mage-daughters of the dead houses were coming for them. Perhaps, when they met, death would release him from service to the King.

Onyx and the others moved steadily onward as the sun began to rise. The horses, surprisingly refreshed from their brief rest, moved at a steady canter, barely out of breath. Sarah, sitting comfortably in her deep saddle, was staring at the bleak landscape around them, a distant expression on her face.

"Something wrong, Hikari?" Onyx asked, just loud enough to be heard over the rhythmic squeak of the tack and the noise of hoofbeats.

The girl glanced sharply towards her, and for the briefest of seconds Onyx felt the full impact of the silver-green gaze. In a rush, the memory of the first time she had seen that gaze – out of a starvation-thin face streaked with blood and soot, came back to her, and she shuddered at the recollection.

"Nothing's wrong," the girl answered, not noticing her dark half's odd behavior. "I'm just trying to remember this world, having been a part of it, and I don't remember it at all."

"I shouldn't think you would," Onyx answered, frowning. "You were only five when we found you."

When the Yami did not elaborate, Sarah frowned as well. "Tell me."

"Tell you?" Onyx echoed. "Tell you what?"

"About finding us, Katie and myself! I know your past now, I wish to know my own as well."

"Some memories are best left forgotten, Hikari." Onyx pushed her horse forward, hoping desperately to escape the topic of discussion. The memory of the day she and Veronique had found the two girls was still brutally crystal-clear in her mind, and like her own past, it was something she preferred to forget.

Sarah, however, was nothing if not persistent. Urging her own horse forward, she rode the black stallion in front of Onyx's mount, forcing the Yami to slow her own horse to pace.

"No games, Onyx. Tell me about the day you found us."

The dark woman drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly, slumping back in her saddle as her horse continued on at a rolling canter. "As you wish, Hikari. But you must understand, it is not a pleasant memory. Damus can tell you as well," she added, nodding to her other side, were the mage rode silently, listening to the conversation.

"I understand. Go on."

"Very well… Veronique and I, along with Damus and Mirai, were living like gypsies in the forests of this land. Our houses had long since fallen, and now we simply wandered from place to place, content to find food and supplies, not having any true home. Damus had joined with us barely two weeks before – he was the first monster to join us."

Sarah turned in her saddle to glance at the mage, but he kept his gaze resolutely on the road ahead.

"Veronique, Damus and I, along with our mounts and a couple of pack horses, were skirting the edge of a village when we smelled the reek of burned flesh on the air."

"Flesh?" echoed Sarah, utterly bewildered.

"_Human _flesh," Damus clarified, his face grim. "It was a witch burning."

Sarah looked slightly ill, but Onyx waved the mage to silence and continued. "We heard a sound from a small cave near the boarder of the town," she continued, utterly calm. "At first we dismissed it as a wild animal, but after a short time we realized it was a human voice."

"Who's?"

"Yours, actually," the dark woman replied. "Veronique and I went into the cave to investigate and found you and Katie there, both bloody, both wounded. Katie was scarcely alive. Someone had struck her in the small of the back with a shovel."

"That scar – that's where she got it?"

Onyx nodded faintly. "For several weeks, we weren't certain she would regain the use of her legs. You, on the other hand, were very much awake, though wounded, and holding a small dagger." Onyx grinned briefly, one of her overlong canines flashing white against her red lips, then vanishing again as she sobered.

"Finding the two of you, two young children cast out by people too fearful to accept you, reminded Veronique and I of our pasts, and reawoke in us the desire to have a true home. Somewhere there would be no war, and no prejudice. A place where we could be free." There was a nostalgic smile on her face when she finished, but Sarah's thoughts were occupied.

"Does Katie know about all that?"

"No," Onyx answered quietly. "It never came up. She still carries the scar, as you know, but Veronique believes that some things are best left forgotten. She was only four at the time – I doubt she recalls anything about it."

Sarah nodded, deep in thought, then asked the question that weighed most heavily on her mind. "Onyx, why were we thrown from our town as children?"

The Yami glanced back at her, leaning back in her saddle as Masabi half-slid down a gravelly slope. "For the same reason we were, of course. You had majic."

With that, she urged her horse forward onto level ground and into a gallop, leaving a stunned Sarah coughing in her wake.

Silently, Jacobs motioned the twenty sergeants forward. Each one, tense and waiting on his horse, jostled to get closer to him; he stilled them all with a glare. Using silent motions of his hand, he directed each man to move his squads into ambush positions around the small valley. Four squads slightly east. Two slightly west, as there was a rocky hillside in that direction that would give them an advantage. Two more further west and higher up, so that they could come in from behind and box in the witch-woman's troops when they came.

The remaining two squads, with Jacobs at their head, fell back slightly to either side of the roadway, prepared to ambush. There was nothing left to do but wait.

"We haven't got time to wait!" Sarah, incensed, flapped her hand down hard against her sword hilt. The sudden impact caused the tip of the scabbard to swing upwards, striking Trinity in the hip. The stallion gave an indignant snort and kicked out with one hind leg, forcing Cadiban, Celtos' stallion, to leap aside.

"Sorry, Trinity. Onyx - "

Deeply involved in scanning the terrain, Onyx did not answer, but quietly rolled up the map she'd been holding and tucked it back in her saddlebag. "To arms, everyone. Dian, Amystria, you two remain here. Stera, Silvis, stay with them."

The monsters obeyed instantly, and the air thrummed softly with the sound of bowstrings being plucked and swords drawn. Sarah, balancing her crossbow on her hip, glared at her darker half.

"Where _are_ we, Onyx?"

The Yami casually drew her own sword, swinging it gently in one hand, then switching it to the other, remembering it's weight and balance. "Oh, a couple of hours from the castle." Sliding the sword away again, she raised her hand, waving the group into a swift canter. "Harun, get airborn!"

The Harpy's Brother took of in a swirling rush of wind; his horse, well-trained, continued to move with the rest, not breaking stride.

"Onyx, what are we riding into? An ambush?"

"Indeed. About two hundred men, if Katie's information is correct."

Behind them, Susa let a wicked grin overtake his face, blue-white lightening crackling around him. "Those soldiers don't stand a chance."

The soldier on watch didn't have time to cry out. A single arrow, precisely shot, struck him in the left eye. He was dead before he struck the ground. Jacobs snapped his head up, a cold horror washing over him as he saw the dark-shadowed figures approaching them. At their head was a woman in bright armor, wielding a ruby-hilted sword, her eyes blazing like emerald fire. He saw her mouth move, uttering a single command, perhaps – and then they attacked.

The hum of Celtos' bow string was still audible as Onyx reined her horse in, gazing dispassionately at the poorly-hidden men to either side of the road. "Spare their horses," she ordered flatly, and Damus shook his head, bemused. Onyx raised her sword above her head, the sun flaring brilliant on it's blade, and they attacked.

All around Jacobs, men were screaming. Some purple-clad demon in a man's form was blasting black lightening from his palms, scorching through the soldier's chests, melting their armor, burning their faces to unrecognizable degrees. One woman, a girl really, was wielding a crossbow with surprising skill, striking down his men as quickly as they could rise. A golden-haired male fought at her side, deflecting arrows with his sword, his inhumanly beautiful face terrible in the bloody sunlight.

One of the sergeants leapt from beside Jacobs, ignoring his horse, and charged into the fray on foot – as though he thought that would help him! A female warrior struck him down before he got two paces, with a diamond blade through his throat. The ground beneath their feet was soaked with blood now, Jacobs realized, watching with horror as the brown earth turned red. Half his force was reduced to corpses. He heard a scream from beside him and turned, then leapt backwards in horror. One of his soldiers was writing on the ground, shrieking in agony. A man, if it could be called a man, was standing over him, all glowing white eyes and white hair and white lightening flashing from his fingertips. Before Jacob's eyes, the flesh of the soldier blackened and burned, splitting open as his blood boiled, and finally his screaming ceased. And then the creature turned its gaze to Jacobs.

"Hello, Lieutenant," it rasped, a manic grin on its wild features. "Care to die?" Then a bolt of lightening struck Jacobs in the stomach, and all he could do was scream.

The battle was over swiftly. In less than half an hour, the ground was littered with the dead and dying remnants of the King's men. Not one had been spared injury, and most were already dead. Those who still clung to life would not hold it for long.

Onyx herself walked among the bloody bodies, searching for one in particular. She found him, lying on his back, between two corpses charred beyond recognition. He was still breathing, but it was shallow and harsh, and blood bubbled in his mouth with every exhalation. Up close, she could see that he was from one of the Noble Houses – his dark skin and hair marked him as it did her.

Gasping, Jacobs stared up at the woman. She was very tall, with an icy, noble face. Her eyes were hard as granite, but he saw agony beneath them. Green eyes, set into a dark face like his own. Some of her black hair had come loose from it's braid, and he could see blood splashed into it.

Weakly, he lifted one arm to salute her. "Hail… cousin," he whispered, blood bubbling from his mouth. Pity flickered once on her cold features, and she dropped to one knee beside him.

"Hail, cousin," she returned, saluting him with far more grace than he'd displayed.

"You are… the mage daughter… of the stories?"

A slow nod. "I was Victorianna, once, child of Horse."

"Jacobs… of Fox.." His breath was coming in harder and harder gasps now, and he raised one trembling, bloody hand to clasp hers. "I… am dying, Victorianna. I would ask the… the final mercy of you."

The dark woman hung her head. A single crystalline droplet splattered against his breastplate. He blinked once, and that crystal glitter was replaced by a watery silver gleam. Glancing down, he saw a gold-hilted dagger in her right hand.

"Go well into the next world, my cousin," she whispered, and the dagger flashed down.

"Where is she?" Damus, white-faced and frantic, reined Marshilo in next to Trinity. The silver-maned stallion was frantic from the smell of blood; it was all Damus could do to keep him from bolting.

Sarah didn't need to ask who he meant. "She's over with the Lieutenant," the girl whispered, her eyes closed and her face white with pain. An arrow shaft protruded from the back of her knee – it had struck at the flex-point, where there was no armor. Damus, knowing that she was all right for the moment, twisted in his saddle to see around Sarah's mount. At the other end of the battlefield, he could see Onyx staggering to her feet, blood splashed across her breastplate and up her right arm.

"Rianna!" Damus shouted, waving to catch her attention. The woman looked up, raising her left hand in acknowledgement.

"Damus… Sa-chan," she answered wearily. Despite her obvious exhaustion, her voice was steady. "Have the least injured monsters go through the soldiers. Give the final mercy to whoever is left, and attend our wounded."

"And what will you be doing?" Sarah demanded, her eyes still closed as she tried to fight down pain.

Onyx ignored her, as she had a tendency to do, and began climbing the low hill towards a towering oak tree that shaded part of the battlefield. If one was riding from the castle, the oak was directly in your line of sight. Standing in front of the ancient tree, Onyx drew out her dagger and began cutting into the gnarled bark.

Sarah shook her head and reined Trinity around, drawing her sword as she did so. Damus dismounted his own skittish stallion, and began walking into the bloody field.

Within a few moment's of Onyx's order, the least-injured monsters were moving between the fallen enemy soldiers. Those that had survived the battle were given the only mercy left – their injuries were all mortal, all agonizing.

Still, and end to suffering seemed a weak excuse for driving a sword through the throat of a fallen man.

It took perhaps a half an hour to finish field-treating worst of the injuries sustained by Onyx's team. Not one of them had died, but all were bleeding from some wound or another. Celard cradled a broken arm. Neo had a gash on his temple that was raining blood into his eye. Damus, although he had not realized it at first, had a deep wound in his arm from an enemy sword. Gartic, knocked from his horse in a moment of distraction, had landed hard on his shoulder and hip, and was limping badly on his right leg. The other injures were little worse than this, but no better, either, and all in all, it was a very sore and bloody group of monsters that began mounting up to ride back to where they had left their medics.

"Are you going to attend to that arrow, Hikari?" Onyx, limping slightly herself, leaned against her horse as she walked.

"I… yeah." Curling her hand around the arrow's head, the girl clenched her teeth and yanked. The arrow came free with a horrible, wet sound, and a spurt of blood followed it. Exhaustion had depleted Sarah's energy so much that she could only heal the wound halfway, but it was still enough for her to ride back.

Neo, meanwhile, sat on his horse with his eyes closed, focused on sending a message through to Katie. _We met the ambush. All of the soldiers are dead. We need to pull back and recover from our own injuries, but we're all right. We're coming for you, Kojika. I'll see you soon._

As the group rode away from the bloodied field, Sarah glanced back over her shoulder at the trunk of the ancient oak. Carved deeply into that hard wood were two distinct symbols; the rampant stallion that was Onyx's crest, and below it, the head of a snarling wolf, the symbol of the girl they had yet to save.


	19. Chapter 18

8

**A/N: Thank you to Onyx and S for their help once again. Please Read and Review!**

Katie had been sitting in the middle of the floor, her eyes closed and her breathing steady when Neo's message entered her mind. She couldn't help but smile at it. It meant she would be going home soon! She tilted her head, keeping her eyes closed. To an onlooker this might have been comical but she was thinking about what would happen. Was Onyx going to try to fight her way in? Would the king give up easily? No, she doubted he would. She had to find some way to help them. Although she wasn't sure how, she knew inspiration would strike when the time was right. She continued to sit on the floor as the door opened and a guard stepped inside.

"Come with us, witch," the guard ordered, glaring down at her.

Katie sighed, trying to keep from getting annoyed by these people. The last thing she needed now was her temper to get the best of her. She needed to focus. She opened her eyes before standing and walking over to the guards. They took her down the stairs to the king's library. She was unceremoniously shoved in and the doors were closed behind her. She flinched but remained still, refusing to show fear.

The room itself was impressive, through not spectacular. Heavy, ebony bookshelves were built into the walls and filled to the brim with heavy, leather-bound books. The whole room smelled musty, as though it hadn't been used in ages, and the moth-eaten velvet curtains were drawn on the windows, leaving a few weak torches as the only light.

She ignored all of this and stared straight ahead, at the back of an elaborate, velvet-covered chair with ornately carved arms laid with gold leaf. The chair's back was high enough that she could not see its occupant, but she could sense a cold evil radiating from it. Whoever was in the chair was not a friend. She waited quietly.

"Enjoying your stay, my dear?" she heard a cold voice say, and a chill ran through her.

It was not Troy's voice, but the voice of the one man in the kingdom that she truly feared, rather than simply despising. There was a rustle of cloth, and a dark figure rose from the elegant seat and turned to face her. Biting back her alarm, Kate stood calmly, waiting on him to offer an explanation.

"Well?" demanded the King, a hint of authority entering his tone.

"Do you…" Before she spoke more, the idea hit her. "Yes, my lord," she answered, dropping her gaze as though she was submitting to him.

"Good," he replied simply as he stepped from behind his chair and walked slowly towards her.

He was dressed much the same way he had been when she first saw him, in a black velvet tunic, black breeches, black leather boots, and a long black cloak, trimmed with the fur of some unfortunate black animal. The only spark of color on his outfit came from a silver-trimmed belt at his waist, the silver crown on his head, and the rubies glittering in the hilt of the dagger tucked in his belt

Kate felt his eyes on her body as he got closer. She looked down at herself, gathering her wits for a quick second before making eye contact with the king. She forced the best smile she could onto her pale face and began to speak.

"My Lord, I offer my apologies for my behavior until this time. I am ashamed of how I have acted, and I beg your forgiveness," she whispered, gazing down at the floor and faking guilt.

"My dear child," the king murmured as he stood next to her and placed his fingers on her chin to raise her eyes to meet his. "You were scared. You have my forgiveness."

"Thank you, your majesty," she said softly, giving him another smile. "I am forever in your debt."

The king looked at her, his eye brow raised in curiosity as he continued to study her face. Kate felt the weight of his gaze on her, and wondered, almost humorously, if it left a trail of slime like a slug.

"You are a very beautiful woman," the black-clad man murmured as he reached out, and took her hand in his own. The skin of his hand was soft, almost silken, and it felt ridiculous against Kate's work-roughened hand.

Gently, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed every knuckle. Kate cringed inwardly and let the king do as he wished before he looked her in the eye again. Forcing her true feelings not to show, Katie continued with what Onyx might have called a 'tactical deception.'

"My lord, I think I have been mislead all of my life. I was not living in the real world. I was raised by demons in a place where monsters roamed and no man as charming as you existed."

The king's lip twitched, but he did not smile. Fearing that she had not yet won him over, Katie continued, letting a note of her true desperation seep into her voice.

"Please, my lord. Show me the world that I have missed. I will do as you wish only if you take me in and guide me. Please, I beg of you! Help me to be a real woman." She said, letting every word roll off her tongue as though she truly meant it.

After a moment of silence, the king smiled. "If you show me the powers you hold, I will guide you towards a real life in this kingdom."

"Oh, thank you, my lord," she gasped in true relief, bowing deeply to him.

When she stood straight again, he pulled her close to his own body, and she gazed briefly into his dark eyes and realized she had won. She could see her victory in his eyes. It was a familiar expression to her, having seen it many times in Neo's eyes, but she knew this look was definitely different. He was taking the bait.

Twining one arm around her waist, the king pressed her closer against him. His body was thick and heavy and nothing like Neo's lean form. "The sight of you makes my blood boil, my lady. There has not been a new woman in this kingdom in ages, and I hope to claim you as my own." His voice was full of pent up lust.

Kate suppressed a physical wave of nausea that rose at the thought. "Oh, my king, it would be an honor."

He drew her closer still, until even air could not fit between their bodies. The arm across her back would leave bruises come morning, nothing like Neo's gentle hands. The King's mouth was nothing like Neo's, either, as he wasted no time in crushing his lips against hers in a demanding kiss. As much as she hated it, she focused her attention elsewhere, allowing the King to continue to assault her lips before moving to her neck. She gripped his sleeve in a mockery of desire, sliding her hand downwards, aiming for the heavy silver belt and the dagger it held.

"Oh, my lord," she gasped as he kissed her. She closed her eyes, struggled to pretended she was enjoying it, moaning every now and then as he touched different areas of her neck with his lips. Her hand reached his wrist, and she twitched away, sliding it to his waist instead, settling it an inch above his belt and waiting. The King, oblivious, continued to kiss down her neck, across her collarbones, down the pale skin exposed by the low neckline of her dress. Kate forced herself to wait, literally trembling from the effort it took to restrain herself. Greedy now, the King hooked his fingers into the neckline of her dress, meaning to pull away the constricting fabric so he could reach the flesh beneath.

Kate's reaction was instantaneous. Her right hand curled around the hilt of the King's silver dagger, and her left shot out, the heel of her hand striking the king hard in the center of his chest, a few inches below his collarbone. Shocked and winded, the king stumbled backwards, staring with wide eyes at the girl before him. Snarling, Kate wiped her lips with her arm, the dagger flashing bright in her hand.

"Did you actually think I'd suddenly change my mind?" she growled, raising the blade. It was well-crafted and extremely sharp, and she knew it would serve her purpose.

The king did not answer, but glared silently at her before stepping backwards. Kate tensed immediately, dropping into a defensive crouch, weapon at the ready. She knew he was going to try something, and she needed to be quicker to survive. _Remember the training,_ she thought desperately.

Without warning, the King charged. Prepared for this, Kate rocked forward, throwing her weight behind the dagger as she moved. The King's own momentum sent him hurtling into his own blade. The dagger sank into his chest to the hilt, just below his ribs, forcing the breath from his body in a low wheeze. Wide-eyed, he grabbed for her, and she was not swift enough to dodge. His sudden grasp knocked her to the ground, and she barely managed to avoid having the dying man fall upon her as well. Rolling to her feet, Kate scrambled away and stood up to watch him.

Slowly, his arms trembling, he rose onto his hands and knees, red-tinted foam falling from his mouth. She knew what that meant - she had somehow pierced his lung, and he was drowning in his own blood. Struggling, the King forced himself to his feet, and turned on her with deadly intent in his eyes.

A single, low gasp came from his throat, bubbling up through the blood he was surely choking on. "Witch!" And then he lunged towards her, fury in his face.

Kate stood her ground, trembling with tension. _Remember the training._ It was second nature to her now. Watch the movements of your opponent. Calculate. The King was within range now. Shifting her weight back, she swung her entire body into a twist. Her leg lashed up with brutal force and caught the King directly in the side of the head.

The shattering crack sounded incredibly loud in the cold room. Kate pivoted on her foot, turning to watch as the King's body fell through the cold air, seemingly taking forever to fall the short distance to the floor. The impact seemed to shake the room when his lifeless body landed. Shaking all over, Kate stepped closer to stare at the body of her foe. His eyes were still open, staring blankly at the opposite wall. His head was twisted at an impossible angle, his neck snapped from the force of her kick. Bloody foam was still seeping from his mouth. Kate stepped back, horrorstruck, as she processed what had just happened. She was saved from thinking about it more by the crash of the door flying open as two guards burst in. They saw the lifeless body of their leader on the floor and instantly drew their swords. Dealing with the unarmed, unprepared King had been one thing. Dealing with two fully armed guards was quite another. Slowly, Kate backed away as the men got closer. She was a few feet from the wall when another voice echoed in from the hall outside.

"Halt!"

The men stopped instantly, snapping to attention as they half-turned towards the door, keeping Kate in their sights. Looking between them, Kate could see the new figure in the doorway – precisely the last person she wanted to see. Troy.

The Captain surveyed the scene without any trace of surprise. "Take the Kings' body out of here and see it is properly attended. I will deal with the girl."

The two guards, not willing to disagree with the man, sheathed their swords and carefully gathered up the kings' limp form. As they took him from the room, Kate's gaze remained locked on the small pool of blood on the floor. Kate stared in horror as she truly realized what had happened. _I've taken a life. I've killed a man. _As though it had suddenly sunk in, comprehension washed over her, and her control shattered. While her body stood silently in the room, inside her mind, she panicked.

_IkilledamanNeo…Ikilledaman! Ohmy…Idon't…Ikilledhim…._

Neo had been slumped silently on a low boulder in the desolate clearing Onyx had found, staring into a tin cup of herbal tea, when Kate's message found him. He sat bolt upright, the cup clattering to the rocky ground as his face went white with fear. Anything that could cause the usually strong-willed girl to panic like this must be terrible.

All around him, wounded monsters in various stages of healing had stopped what they were doing, turning to look at the swordsman as he pressed his fingertips to his temples, attempting to focus.

_Kate, calm down. I can't understand you._

_I killed a man Neo. I killed the king. What do I….how…_

_You killed the king?_ Neo's face showed a sort of shocked horror.

_Yes!_ She cried out.

He tried to think about what to say, but found himself at a loss. Damus, concern written on his face, stepped over to Neo and set a careful hand on his shoulder.

_Oh God, Neo he's dead! They're going to kill me for sure!_

_Calm down, Kojika. Please. I can't help you if you're panicking._

_Neo, I can't, I…_

But she broke off abruptly, and Neo felt his connection with her severed.

"No!' he whispered, his face going chalk-white. _Kate, answer me! Kojika!_

Kate stared at Troy, shocked. He had just walked right up to her and ripped the pendants from her throat.

"What were you just doing?" he growled, his face contorted with rage. Kate stared at the pendants in his hand, indignation warring with shock and anger.

"Give them back," she ordered, holding out her hand as though she expected him to obey.

He slapped her hand away. "Just try to take them" he snapped, tying the broken cord around his own neck.

Kate glared at him. She wasn't sure if she could take him, but she was sure as hell going to try. Suddenly a familiar voice rang in her ears, spoken in a familiar scornful tone.

_Lesson One. Never. Attack. In. Anger. _

As she heard those words again, she realized she had to calm down first.

"Come on, witch! Try to take them from me." Troy sneered, arrogance dripping from his voice.

Kate held her ground, knowing she could do nothing but wait for Onyx. Even if she, alone and unarmed, managed to defeat the Captain of the King's Army, she would never escape the castle alive. Her inaction seemed to anger Troy more than her previous actions. Radiating fury, he stomped over and grabbed her by the hair, jerking her head back so sharply she expected him to slit her throat.

"You're a witch and a coward" he snarled before dragging her out of the room.

The pain was incredible, and Kate had to fight to ignore it, stumbling along beside the man and trying to slack his hold. He seemed only half-aware of her presence, ranting as he dragged her up a narrow set of carved stone stairs. Several of the steps had begun to crumble with age, and twice she tripped. Troy's only response was to jerk her upright by the hair, and he continued speaking without losing pace.

"You've done me a great favor by killing that idiot bastard who called himself a king. I was going to do it myself after I was finished with your friends, but now I can blame it on you and the kingdom will love me."

"No one could love an evil creature like you," she hissed back, involuntary tears of pain making her vision blur. He jerked her hair again, pulling her off the stairs and into another cold hallway, then shoving her through a heavy wooden door and into another room. Through the haze of pain, Kate had a fleeting impression of dark stone walls and several large, cluttered desks before she was nearly thrown through a second set of doors. Stumbling, she hit a railing and looked down. Pure terror over took her as she realized she was on the balcony from her vision, overlooking the kingdom. Troy came out and seized her upper arm, pulling her upright before yelling out to the people down below.

"Soldiers! Women! Children! Hear me now!" Troy shouted to the people as he forced her against the rail.

The height made her stomach turn and her head spin. The only thing she could think of at that moment in time was her vision.

"People of Lohan! Your king is dead!"

As the people gathered below, cries of horror and anger filled the air, a low rumble of whispered rumors and theories flying among the crowd.

"And the murderer has been caught. It is the witch!" Troy yelled out as he forced Kate even further into the bars of the rail. The hard metal dug into her stomach, and it was all she could do not to cry out as another harsh bruise began to form.

The people began to shout and scream, throwing angry remarks and curses at the girl. Some people even threw stones and debris at her, hitting her in the head and chest as she tried to cover herself with her one free hand.

"Kill the witch!" rose a cry from the back of the crowd, and the rest of it swiftly took up the chant.

Troy continued to hold her as the crowd screamed, twisting her arm behind her back at an agonizing angle while he spoke.

"As the king's first in command, I will take his place. My soldiers and I will stop this evil witch and her wicked friends from seizing Lohan!"

Cheers for Troy rang through the kingdom.

"Soldiers, prepare for battle!" He yelled before turning and pulling Kate back inside.

Kate stumbled, her energy depleted from the battles. She tried to heal the injuries she had sustained, the many bruises, the cuts and scrapes from the rocks, but she didn't have the energy to heal them all.

"Now, I will finish off your friends and become the most powerful man alive." Troy said as he dragged Kate back to her room. His arrogance got Katie's temper up once again.

"You will never defeat Onyx!" she growled, "She will kill you before you can do any more harm."

"We'll see about that." Troy said as he opened her door, pushed her onto the floor and slammed the door again.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. That's to Onyx and S for their help. Disclaimer in previous chapter.**

* * *

The dull clank of a hammer on metal was the loudest sound in the cool night air. Celtos, stripped to the waist except for the bandages holding his broken ribs together, was busy replacing a steel shoe on his stallion's left front hoof, working by the light of a campfire. The other horses, tied to picket lines, were either resting or chewing wearily at the meager bits of grass that had been found for them.

Below a stunted tree near the picket lines, a pile of arrows was sitting ready, a few hundred in all. Three dozen short spears were stacked in ranks against a squarish rock. Ten feet away from that, a rough wooden frame supported several of the saddles and bridles that had been damaged in the battle, and repaired earlier that day.

A little ways away from that, a large tent made of heavy canvas had been set up to serve as the infirmary. There were half a dozen beds in it, little more than canvas stretchers on wooden legs, looking thin and depressing under the light of the oil lamps. Four were still occupied by injured monsters. The fifth was occupied by Dian Keto, who had collapsed from exhaustion earlier that evening. The Mystical Elf was attending all of them, despite her own weariness.

The remaining monsters had split off into small groups, held together by earlier friendship or kinship, or simply those who had formed a sudden companionship in battle. These groups of monsters had lit a dozen campfires, scattered about the entire site. The monsters were clustered around them, either in their bedrolls trying to sleep, or sitting on the ground trying to think. All of them were trying to heal.

At the farthest corner of the camp, a tall, black tent was set up, nearly invisible in the darkness. Inside of it, Onyx sat cross-legged on the canvas 'floor,' her head bent over the old parchment map. It was a sign of how exhausted she was that she didn't notice Sarah's presence behind her until the girl spoke.

"You need to sleep."

Onyx jumped slightly, majic sparking from her fingers in her surprise and lighting a pale-green fire on one corner of the map. "I'm fine, Hikari," she answered flatly, extinguishing the flame with a wave of her hand.

"No, you're not fine. You're cross-eyed from staring at that map and you just set your pants on fire."

The dark woman twitched slightly, then patted out the small fire on the knee of her leggings without comment. Shooting the foulest look she could muster at the girl, she gritted out a warning. "Not. One. Word."

"One word exactly, actually," Sarah answered, completely unimpressed. "Sleep!"

"I don't - "

"Onyx, you're in no fit state to fight," Sarah pointed out, a little more gently. "Get some rest. You can plan with a fresh mind in the morning."

"Plan, yes. Because we have so much bloody information," Onyx snapped, shoving herself to her feet and nearly falling again because her legs had lost their circulation. "I can't contact Veronique, Neo can't contact Kate, and Gartic is so exhausted he can't even contact his brother. We have no way to gain information, Hikari. We're completely cut off and have no way of finding out Troy's plans."

Sarah shook her head slightly. "We have you, Onyx. Your mind and your experience. You don't need to know his plans – you can figure them out by what you know of him and the country you fled. We have the training and the skills you gave us, and the powers you've helped us develop. It will be enough." Turning slightly, the girl limped slowly towards her own bedroll, next to Celtos' empty one, at the back of Onyx's tent. "Go to sleep, Onyx!"

Onyx did not move, but watched the girl silently until she had fallen to sleep. Only then did the dark woman roll up the map and claim her own bedroll, a near-silent whisper escaping her lips. "Hikari, I only hope you're right."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Troy and his men had prepared through the day for the coming march and battle. Swords were being sharpened, bows were being checked, arrows were being assembled, armor was being readied, and men were preparing their horses. Onyx was going to be in for a good fight.

Kate paced the floor of her room until well into the afternoon. She was still trembling from killing the king and being forced onto that balcony; she was nearly at her wit's end. She was struggling to hold onto not only her composure, but her sanity. She kept pacing the room, every now and then stopping when her frantic mind replayed the killing. She paced, perhaps for hours, until the doors to her room opened once more. Two guards, looking just short of terrified, stood there, one to either side of the door. Their stance was rigid with either respect or fear, and Katie knew who was coming. Sure enough, Troy entered the room a moment later, clad in black and silver as the king once had been. At the sight of him, Kate immediately halted and stared at him, forcing her face into blankness. Troy's hands were hidden beneath a bundle of ebony cloth, and Kate's eyes flickered to it almost immediately. Troy took two long steps toward her, and hurled the bundle against her chest. Kate caught it on reflex, scarcely allowing herself to blink.

"That is your outfit for tomorrow," Troy informed her, his white teeth flashing in an expression like a wolf's snarl.

She looked down at the cloth for a moment in confusion – there was not enough material for a dress – and Troy took advantage of her distraction, stepping close enough to speak into her ear.

"You're going with me to watch your friends die tomorrow," he whispered in that arrogant tone.

Kate twisted the fabric in her hands and snarled back at him. "You'll never defeat Onyx and Veronique!".

Without warning, Troy had grabbed her upper arms, his hands so hard that her fingers went numb, the dark fabric slipping to the floor. His face was an inch away from hers and his eyes were furious.

"I will NOT be defeated, especially by a bunch of inhuman beasts! You will watch your friends suffer and die, and then when it's over you will surrender to me and become my queen!"

"I'd kill myself before I would surrender anything to you!"

Troy squeezed harder, and Kate nearly cried out from the pain of his grasp. "Once this battle is over and I am victorious, you will be by my side forever. You will continue the House of the Snake and the kingdom itself by bearing my sons or you will suffer a long and painful death."

Kate drew her head back an inch and spat in his face. "I would sooner die than give myself to you!"

Before she could blink his hand struck the left side of her face, adding yet another bruise to it. Before she could recover from that, something struck the back of the head, and she lost consciousness before she hit the floor.

Kate woke up to a cool cloth dabbing her wounded face. Carefully, she cracked open one swollen eye, then flinched away as the cloth touched a bruise on her cheek.

"Please be still, my lady," came a soft voice from her side.

Kate carefully relaxed back into the pillow and blinked both her eyes open. Glancing sideways, she found the young servant girl standing beside the bed, holding the cool, wet cloth that she'd been using to tend Kate's bruised face. Neither one said anything for a few moments, until the girl paused mid-dab and spoke up in a nervous whisper.

"I'm glad you killed the king."

Kate opened her eyes again and looked at the girl, startled. "Why are you glad?" Talking was painful, and she wondered if her jaw was broken. Quite possibly. It had been hit enough.

The maid beside her was shaking, but her hands were still gentle on Kate's wounded face. "He was an evil man. They all are. This whole kingdom is pure evil."

Kate was surprised to say the least. Days ago, the maid had been terrified of her. Now, she had apparently realized that Kate was not the evil in the kingdom. After this, the girl said no more, but dabbed a few more of Kate's bruises and left the room with a respectful bow.

Later that night, nightmares of the day's events kept tearing Kate from sleep. During her brief moments of sleep she thrashed until her bedcovers knotted around her body; twice she woke up screaming because she thought they were Troy's hands. The more she tossed and turned, the more her abused body ached, until she finally gave up attempting to sleep. She couldn't close her eyes anymore, for fear of seeing the memories again. Silent tears fell from her eyes as she slowly pushed the tangled covers away and slid from the bed.

Carefully, wincing as the bruise on her stomach protested the movement, she walked across the room to the washbasin by her window. She splashed the cool water on her face and carefully wiped it dry with a towel before something caught her eye. There was a bundle of black cloth lying on the chair nearby, the same bundle that Troy had thrown at her earlier. Now, she could see the edge of something red in the middle of it as well. Picking it up again, her first thought on the clothes came back to her – there wasn't enough material for a dress. Shaking her head slightly, she wondered if he had commissioned something for her, like one of the thin robes that Onyx sometimes wore. That in mind, she shook out the cloth. It took her a long moment to realize exactly what she was looking at, but when she did, she dropped the clothes to the ground with a little cry of horror.

Just when she thought Troy could sink no lower. The clothes he gave her were rough-woven black cloth and a red sash. He was trying to dress her like a soldier. He was going to use her as a human shield, a guarantee for his own survival. And worst of all, if she wasn't recognized, one of her own friends could end up killing her.

She tried to steady her thoughts, but she was still reeling from her dreams and the previous day's events. There was very little that could be done about it now. Sighing heavily, she stripped out of the silken gown and pulled on the rough soldier's clothes. With any fortune, she would be recognized and spared. Sitting down by the fire to fasten her boots, it occurred to her with a brief, near-hysterical giggle that she was more comfortable in the soldier's garb than she ever had been in the silken gowns.

The fire had long since died in the stone hearth, but after throwing on a spare log and blowing on the embers, she got it to start once more. The castle seemed icy to her, and right now the cold and pain were all she felt.


	21. Chapter 20

Troy opened the doors to Kate's room the next morning, while dawn was still a grey shadow on the horizon. Kate, still seated in the chair by the fireplace, remained silent as she sensed his dark presence. Troy, dressed in all black and silver, with the exception of the pendants around his neck, came up behind her and settled his hands on her shoulders.

When he spoke, his voice was icy. "It's time to leave."

Kate did not respond. Silently, she rose from her chair and made her way around to stand beside him. Troy caught her arm in an iron grasp and pulled her out of the room and down the crumbling stairs. Kate sunk her teeth into her lip as they descended, blocking out the rest of the pain in her body. When they reached the lowest level, two trembling soldiers pulled the heavy wooden doors open to allow them outside. Kate's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the grey castle courtyard. The kingdom was… alive. Thousands of people were swarming around the kingdom. Men were hurrying, quietly, packing their uneasy mounts while their wives rushed back and forth carrying one more shirt, one more loaf of bread for the men to pack. Children were dashing about underfoot, playing soldier with long sticks instead of swords.

Even as Kate watched, the seething mass of humanity seemed to resolve itself into an army. The men gave their wives one last kiss, embraced their children for the final time, and mounted their horses. A slight wave of pity hit her, because she knew their future. It had nothing to do with her forsaken visions, but her memories. She knew what Onyx was capable of. These men would never return home. Their families would be forever shattered, simply because the men's lives were in the hands of a madman.

Said madman was now pulling Kate down the steps to the cobbled courtyard, where one of the servants was holding his great black horse. Kate was all too familiar with this creature. Trained to obey Troy and only Troy, the only way it would move for another rider would be to save its own neck.

Troy's rough hands landed hard on her waist, picking her up and swinging her into his deep war-saddle. Shots of pain ran through her body from the many bruises this aggravated, but she clenched her teeth. Troy would never know how badly he hurt her. Troy swung effortlessly up behind her, wrapping an arm possessively around her middle before urging the horse forward.

"Don't try anything," he whispered, his breath hot and cruel against her ear.

Kate resisted the urge to snort at that. _What could I possibly try?_ She was a mass of injuries, unarmed, surrounded by enemy soldiers, with no idea where her friends were. She sat silent as they rode into the village to wait for the soldiers to organize.

The men assembled themselves surprisingly quickly. Foot soldiers stood in orderly rows, their ranks headed up by officers on horseback. From her vantage point on Troy's tall stallion, Kate watched as the scene unfolded as the army massed together. She could feel a lump forming in her throat and her eyes began to sting, but she blinked the tears back. Troy began calling orders over her head, and the sound of his voice brought back the seething hatred that she felt for this land and all the people in it. She buried her fear and sadness under that burning fury, leaving herself with only an empty calm. Within thirty minutes, the men were finished assembling. When they began to move, even Kate's fury couldn't burn away the all-consuming sense of terror.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

When a warm hand landed on Onyx's shoulder the next morning she reacted on instinct. Her right arm lashed out, a lethal blow if it had caught mortal flesh, while her left hand groped for the dagger she kept under her pillow.

"Rianna!"

Hearing her name called, the woman slowly blinked open her eyes, dilated to pure black with adrenaline and alarm, but relaxed sharply when she saw Damus' narrow face hovering above her.

"Sorry," she whispered, sitting up in the twisted bedroll and rubbing her eyes. "Did I hit you?"

"No, I dodged it in time." He regarded her for a minute, then gently reached out to touch her brow. "You haven't woken up like that in quite a while."

"I haven't been to war in quite a while, either," Onyx reminded hi, and he smiled faintly before holding out a tin cup of herbal tea.

"Thank you," she murmured, sipping carefully before glancing towards Sarah and Celt's bedrolls. Both were empty."

"Where - "

"Sarah is helping out in the infirmary and Celtos is rechecking the horses. How are you feeling?"

"Like the fuzz is out of my brain at least," she answered, setting the empty cup aside and standing up. "I should have a good chance at planning - " she broke off a split second before the flap of her tent was pushed aside.

"Lady Onyx – oh excuse me." Gartic, the faintest of blushes overcoming him, quickly turned his back.

Onyx glanced down at herself, recalling that she was wearing only her long tunic. Unbothered, she ducked behind Damus to pull on her leggings.

"What is the Matter Gartic?"

"It's Celtos, Lady Onyx, he just collapsed."

"What?!"

Gartic didn't have time to repeat himself before Onyx bolted past him, dressed but barefoot with Damus hot on her heels. They found Celtos awake and alert sitting up against the base of a scrubby tree. Sarah was kneeling beside him, her hands on his shoulders, speaking intently to him. Several of the other monsters, Amystria, Haron and Neo included were grouped around them and withdrew as the Yami came forward.

"Celtos?"

"Good morning, Mistress," the Elf answered, sounding slightly sheepish.

"What happened?" Kneeling down in front of him, Onyx looked deeply into Celt's amber eyes.

He gazed back, his eyes clear but concerned. "I…had a vision," came the answer and his usually confident voice trembling slightly. Onyx's mouth twisted, her eyes darkened with something like fear.

"Show me," she ordered and Celtos closed his hand carefully around his pendant.

The images came fast and disjoined. Katie, sitting on the back of a black horse. A raging battle, majic and weapons flying. A flash of Katie's face coupled with the red-sashed black uniform of a Lohan soldier.

When Onyx straightened up there was an expression of cold fury on her face.

"How dare he," she whispered, her eyes darkening to pitch black. "How dare he risk her like that?!"

"Onyx?" Perplexed Sarah tapped into Celt's memories instead, growing paler by the second as she viewed the premonition. From her it went out through Damus and Neo. The mage swore softly, but Neo in a surge of cold fury, spun around and blasted a nearby tree with his majic, reducing it to dust. Onyx spun as well, smacking the blond man upside the head.

"Save your energy, you fool!" she snapped at him then turned back to the others. "Get ready, all of you. We leave in an hour."

"You have a plan?" Sarah, on her feet again caught Onyx's arm as the dark woman went by.

"Oh yes," came the low answer, and Sarah took an instinctive step away from her at the sound, "Yes I have a plan. And Troy will not get out of it alive."

As Sarah, watched the Yami stormed back to her tent, monsters pulling back from her fury.

"All right, you heard her!" Sarah shouted and the monsters previously frozen with surprise and fear scrambled to pack camp.

Celtos came up behind her, his gate steady and his face composed. "Do you know what she's planning?"

"Not a clue." Sarah answered with a shrug. "I just go where she tells me. You all right?"

"Fine. The vision made me dizzy but it passed quickly."

Sarah gave a slight nod, then went to start breaking down Onyx's tent while Celtos began distributing weapons.

Although Onyx had ordered them to be ready in an hour, it was twenty minutes before they were ready to move out.


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N: I'm Sooo sorry this is late. Been really busy. I promise that the chapter after this one will come alot faster. Disclaimer in Previous Chapters. Thank you Onyx and S again!**

* * *

Katie tried her best to ignore the pain, but it was getting to be too much. She clenched her teeth hard enough to make her jaw creak, using every technique she could think of to suppress the agony shooting through her. Every time the stallion moved beneath her, the motion pushed her back into Troy's armored chest. She fought to think about better things, her home in Sacelon, her adoptive family, and… Neo…

Every time Neo's face crossed her mind, her imagination supplied an image of him lying broken on the ground, blood trailing from his mouth, his soft golden eyes open and unseeing, a sword through the heart that loved her so much. The thought of Neo going to battle, possibly dying in battle, sank deeper and deeper into her mind, making her heart sink further into her body. The thought of him being killed before her eyes plagued her mind just as much as the thought of her own friends slaying her by accident. The more she tried not to think about it, the clearer the thoughts became, until nausea rolled through her and she clamped her teeth to keep from being sick.

She had never seen a battle. Like any member of the village, she had seen injuries, blood and broken bones, even missing limbs if a duel grew too violent, but no one ever died as a result of a monster's duel. She had never seen true war, and now she was riding directly into one. She had never seen death and now, death seemed to be following behind her. Kate swallowed hard, forcing back her nausea as the army continued moving closer and closer to her family. Somehow, on an instinctive level, she knew the coming hours were going to be the most horrific experience of her life.

Troy rode proudly at the head of his newly claimed army. Smirking down at the girl in his arms, he took a moment to rejoice. This would be a day of great victory for him. Everything he had ever desired was coming into his hands. The kingdom was his, the pendants were his, and soon, this girl would be in his bed and he would wield the greatest power in the known world. He sat up straighter in the saddle, feeling like a true king.

Yes, today was his day to shine.

- - - - - - - - - -

The small camp was frantic. Monsters raced every which way, stamping out fires, disassembling tents, checking weapons and equipment, and pulling on their armor. Although it appeared to be completely chaotic, a longer look would have revealed order, even precision, to the movement. The tents and wooden frames fell with astonishing speed, swooped up into bundles and lashed to the pack horses in a matter of minutes. The neat piles of weapons and mended tack were divided out to their rightful owners and bearers. Here and there, monsters bolted down a last mouthful of food or drink even as they pulled on their armor.

At the far end of camp, Onyx had to shout to be heard over the noise. "Susa! A word!" The snarling monster stalked back to her without replying, but listened patiently while Onyx spoke to him, low-voiced. Even Sarah, standing closest to them, could only catch a few words, most of which happened to be 'glory' and 'destruction.' At one point, the whisper 'freedom from your oath' reached her ears, and she whipped around in alarm, seeing an expression of rapture on Susa's dark face. Shaking, Sarah turned and left, moving at a near-run to get away from the dark monster and the terrifying promise her other half had just made.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

As furious as Neo was, he knew Onyx had been right. It would do Kate no good if he exhausted himself before the battle. _Hopefully, everyone will recognize her_, he thought to himself, the slightest hint of dread crossing his mind. None of the monsters here were fools, but there was no time for lengthy decisions in the midst of battle. The uniform of a soldier meant a soldier, and the soldiers were the enemy. The last thing anyone here wished to do was kill her accidentally, but Troy had made it impossible to guarantee her safety. As he tightened Steel's girth for the third time, he tried to think of anything but her being destroyed, whether by friend or foe. _She will come out of this alive, _he promised himself. _I will bring her out alive and take her home safe and sound._

Then what? Would things go back to the way they always were or had this experience changed her? He couldn't tell, now that the connection between them was lost. It made his heart ache to know that he could not touch her mind, feel her thoughts and her emotions against his own. He held his head up, checked once again that his sword was secured at his side, and continued to prepare his thoughts for battle.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Celtos glanced up from adjusting the greaves on his wrist as Sarah skidded to a stop at his side, leaning one hand on her horse Trinity's strong shoulder, the other braced on her knee. She was breathing hard and shaking, her face too pale by far. Celtos looked her over quickly, finding her fully armored, uninjured and apparently quite unharmed, which gave no explanation for her condition.

"Mistress?" he ventured cautiously, and received no reaction at all. "Sarah!" He said, a little more urgently, and she jumped as though she had only just noticed his presence. "What's the matter?"

Her eyes were too wide when she looked at him, and almost pure grey from stress and anxiety. "She's going to free him from his oath!"

It took Celtos a moment to process that. 'She' must mean Onyx, as only one of the four Masters could free a monster from his oath, therefore 'he' had to be Susa, as only his potential freedom could cause such a reaction in the normally unshakable Hikari. Shaking his head slowly, Celtos settled his hands on the girl's shoulders, lowering his head until she was forced to meet his gaze.

"Do you trust Mistress Onyx's judgment?"

"Well, yes," the girl answered, "but _Susa_?"

"If you trust her, then trust her," Celtos answered, with more confidence than he felt. "She will not allow harm to come to us."

Both of them looked back to the far end of the encampment, where Onyx now stood with Susa, Harun, and Damus, clearly outlining some sort of plan for them. Sarah and Celtos would be standing back with the archers for the first wave of the battle; evidently, neither of them needed to know the initial strategy.

Sarah and Celtos turned back, each facing their respective horses. Each one had a bow strapped to their saddles; the bows that Onyx had gifted them before they left Sacelon. Sarah's gauntleted fingers reached out, moving almost tenderly over the gleaming stock of the crossbow. Sighing, she bowed her head and murmured an Elvish invocation, one that Celtos had taught her years ago. '**- **_May this sword never dull, this bow never break, this horse never falter, and my fortune never fail_. **-** '

Smiling to himself, Celtos echoed the invocation over his own mount and weapons, did one final check of his armor, weapons, and equipment, and silently mounted up. Sarah was only a moment behind him. All around them, monsters were finishing their own last checks and their own murmured invocations, sliding into their saddles as they prepared to move out.

Onyx was closer to them now, speaking to Dian Keto and Amystria. The two healers were standing next to their own mounts, with the loaded pack horses clustered behind them. Onyx had her parchment map spread before them, holding one edge herself while Amystria held the other.

"You two will take the pack horses out nearly two full miles," Onyx was telling them, tracing the lines of the map with her finger. "Here, you will find a series of caves in the foothills, large enough to shelter our entire force. Set up the medical bays and wait there, out of danger, so that we may have a safe respite to return to should we succeed."

"How long shall we wait?" Dian, nearly trembling with tension, spoke so quietly that the eavesdropping Sarah and Celtos barely heard him.

"If we are successful, we should be returning to your position before nightfall. If we are unsuccessful, you shall know. Your pendants," Onyx explained, indicating the pale-blue gem at Amystria's throat and the seafoam-green one at Dian's, "will shatter. Your oaths to me will be at an end, and you shall do as you will. My recommendation would be to leave this area as swiftly as possible. Whether you return to defend Sacelon or not will be your choice." Without giving them a chance to reply, she let the map roll back up and pressed it into Mysti's hands. "Take the map, we will have no need of it. Now, go! Ride as quickly as you dare. Neither of you is a warrior; I do not want you near when the fighting starts. Take the wolves with you for protection."

Both monsters hurried to mount, Stera and Silvis trotting at their heels, and Onyx watched quietly until the string of horses had vanished into the distance before she swung into Masabi's saddle. Motioning the horse to the forefront of the crowd, she stood up in her stirrups, facing the assembled monsters.

"My people," she shouted, her voice ringing clear, "we ride to battle! Are you ready?"

A roar answered her; weapons flashed, horses neighed, and every throat voiced its support.

"We ride!" Onyx shouted again, her emerald cloak billowing around her armor-clad form.

"_We ride!" _came the echoing shout.

"We fight!"

"_We fight!"_

Onyx's sword blazed in the early light as she drew it; held aloft, it caught the meager rays of sun and blazed like a beacon. "WE WIN!"

"_WE WIN!"_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The only avenue out of the city with a force as large as the army Troy lead was the King's Great Road, a path wide enough for ten horses abreast and paved with smooth stone. The Road had been established centuries ago, when all ten of the Houses flourished and Lohan was a center of trade and commerce. It had not been maintained, and deep cracks split the stone in many places, but it was still passable. In some places, it ran between steep hills or alongside deep gorges. It was not a road designed for war. Several points along the road were ideal for ambush, but the thought barely crossed Troy's mind. He knew Onyx was bold, but he also knew she was intelligent, strategic, and analytical. He never considered that she would mount what would well amount to a suicide strike on his immense force.

Until, that is, he crested the first hill after the castle and a field of carnage met his eyes. For a long moment he stared in disbelief, then fury. The corpses of two hundred soldiers lay on the blood-soaked ground. Some of the bodies had been gutted, some decapitated; many were missing limbs. Several in his immediate vicinity were riddled with arrow-wounds, but he could see that the arrows had been taken again after the battle, collected for further use. Still struggling to recover from his shock, Troy barely heard one of his lieutenants calling him.

"_Sir!_" Lieutenant Kaen finally bellowed, and Troy swung to look at him. Keeping a tight grasp on his reins in case his horse decided to bolt, Kaen knelt down next to the body he had found. "It's Lieutenant Jacobs, sir."

Disbelieving, Troy dismounted his fidgeting horse to get a better view of the corpse. It looked… burned. Jacob's armor had melted across his chest and stomach, burned away until the inside of the destroyed body was visible. The two bodies on either side of the dead lieutenant were burned beyond recognition, both completely black. Vaguely, Troy was aware of several of the young soldiers behind him emptying their stomachs onto the road, and mentally scorned their weakness.

Kaen nudged carefully at Jacob's cheek, rolling the limp head to the side. "His throat was cut." Troy was opening his mouth to reply to that when a wordless shout echoed from across the field. A soldier, a young soldier, was on his knees, trembling, at the base of an ancient oak tree overlooking the road. Troy stared up at the tree, then cursed violently. He unleashed his fury by kicking the corpse at his feet, sending Jacob's head reeling sideways with a gout of blood. Kaen gave a cry of protest, and Troy's gauntleted fist swung. Protesting was disobedience; disobedience was punished. Troy's fist caught Kaen in the cheekbone, and the man fell.

The insignias of the fallen Houses were carved into the tree. It was impossible, and yet… here was the proof. Onyx had slain his men, shattered this small force so completely, so thoroughly… For the first time, doubt began to filter into Troy's mind. '_If she can do this, even to such a small force, is there a chance that she could prevail?'_

Troy shook his head slightly. Impossible. No one, not even some demon-begotten bitch of legend, could defeat the King's Army. "Back to rank!" he shouted as he swung back onto his horse. "We march on!"

Lieutenant Kaen lay, unresponsive, half-fallen over Jacob's body where Troy's fist had thrown him. Troy shouted the man's name once, and received no response. When he looked more closely at Kaen's crumpled form, he saw the unnatural, twisted position of the man's head and cursed. He'd snapped the man's neck with his blow. Furious now, he pointed at a sergeant from Kaen's division. "You!" he snapped, neither knowing nor caring for the man's name. "You are hereby promoted to lieutenant. Do not fail me as he did," he ordered, pointing at Kaen's fallen form. The man managed a stuttered reply and a trembling salute before mounting Kaen's war-horse and carefully reining him back to Kaen's former division.

Ignoring the murmurs of doubt and trepidation that swept through his troops, Troy urged his horse forward, the stallion's heavy feet dancing between shattered corpses as he sought the road again. Because the army was following him, Troy could not see the expressions growing on the faces of his men.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The moment Kate saw the scene, the first thing she did was lean over the horse and vomit. It horrified her to think that this was something that Onyx and her friends had done. These men had died and it was all because of her. She tried hard to keep her mind set on the fact that these men were evil, they were the enemy and deserved to die. When Troy hopped off the horse to look at the bodies Kate just closed her eyes and continued to look down at the ground. A river of blood running under the horse caught her eyes and she found herself looking into it as if waiting for it to give her a message of some kind. She threw up again when she saw Troy kick the dead body of one of his men. It wasn't until her eyes moved up to a young soldier beneath the tree that she realized, this was Onyx's work and that the battle she was being taken into was going to look very much the same or even worse.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The army was a half-hour's ride from the field of slaughter when Kate's head began to itch. It wasn't much, just an annoying little twinge over her left ear, but it became more annoying as time went on. When she tried to sink into meditation and block it out, it increased sharply until it became a needle-like pain. Her concentration slipped for a moment, and suddenly she 'felt' Onyx's presence in her mind.

'KATE!' The Yami's mental 'voice' was nearly a shout; she sounded exasperated. The shock of it forced Kate to stifle a yelp, but if Troy noticed her sudden stiffening, he gave no indication.

'Onyx? How are you in my head? My pendants - '

'I'll explain later. Right now, listen. When you see the signal, get off of that horse and move away as fast as you can.'

'I'm not sure I can walk, Onyx.' It was a hard admission to make, but it was the truth. Days worth of beatings, combined with the forced ride, had driven her body past the point of pain and into numbness.

'You'll have to try.' Onyx's voice was sympathetic, but distracted. 'Just remember. When you see the signal, get off the horse.'

'What is the signal?'

'You'll know when you see it.' And with that, Onyx's mental presence vanished, and all of the telepathic yelling in the world wasn't going to call her back. Kate didn't have much time to worry about it, though. Shouts began erupting from in front of them, those few soldiers that Troy had sent ahead as scouts and guards. Looking forward, Kate cried out in astonishment. A high ridge was almost directly ahead of them, forcing the road to curve sharply to the right barely a hundred feet from where they stood. On top of that ridge, Onyx stood silent, alone, unmounted, her sword sheathed on her hip. Her face was as blank as a stone, but the mere sight of her, with the rampant gold stallion displayed on her armor, was enough to send many of the soldiers into fits of panic.

Katie was startled enough by Onyx's sudden appearance that she didn't see Troy's gauntleted fist moving until it struck her full-force in the side of the face. The strength of the blow knocked her cleanly out of the saddle, sending her crashing to the ground almost ten feet away.

"You little bitch, you led them straight to us!" Troy's face was incandescent with rage, his voice a shattering scream. "I'll kill you for this!"

A flash of movement from high above caught Kate's eye. Rolling her head slowly, she tracked the dark blur and slowly brought it into focus. It was Harun, the Harpie's Brother, and he was carrying something in his arms. Something that glowed with the crackling white power of lightening.

"Susa," Kate whispered in amazement, as Troy swung to follow her gaze. Harun was carrying Susa directly over the main body of his army, and the deadly monster was literally glowing with the power of the lightening contained within his body.

Onyx's unbelievable first strike clarified itself in Kate's mind a split second before Harun reached the very center of the army, where the men were clustered thickly together – and dropped Susa straight into it.

Susa Soldier was filled to the brim with the energy he commanded. He released every last ounce of it as he hit the ground. A pure white dome of energy rose up from where he had struck, rising and expanding, burning across the ground in all directions as it engulfed everything before it. Men ran screaming before it, but as soon as the energy wall touched them, there was nothing left to scream.

Terror surged through Kate, giving her the strength she needed to force her abused body to its feet, force her legs to move as she staggered away from that horrible, killing wall of light. Even as she moved, though, she could hear the burning rush of the wall slowing down, and could somehow feel the energy dissipating behind her. Glancing back, she watched as the wall slowly vanished into white ghosts of mist, leaving a blackened circle of earth in its wake. There was nothing within that circle, no bodies, no bones, not even rocks. All of it was gone, reduced to ash in the wake of Susa's power.

"I'll kill you for this, you demon-loving little whore!"

Of course, the circle hadn't come within a hundred feet of Troy. Onyx wouldn't have risked her like that, simply to eliminate him. Kate heard the steel-on-steel scrape of a sword being drawn, the thunder of hoofbeats closing in on her. She tried forcing her body into motion again, but it was like willing a puppet to move. Her body was too far gone to respond to her mind's commands. She could barely feel the weight of her body, barely feel how her feet were planted against the ground. Although her eyes saw with horrific clarity as Troy threw his sword, the spinning blade catching the light, her trembling legs would not move. She saw the blade hurtling towards her, but barely felt the impact against her unprotected back.

Then fire exploded through her, burning across her entire body. She could feel again, feel the steel blade embedded in her back, feel the hot blood already pouring from the wound, feel her life seeping away onto the hard, pitiless earth beneath her. A scream ripped itself from her throat, and suddenly a roar echoed it. She could just barely make out the sudden blur of Onyx's movement, shooting down from the ridgeline above, slamming Troy from his saddle and onto the ground barely five feet from where she lay. Her eyes were clouding over, growing darker by the minute, but the last thing that registered in her mind was how Onyx's green armor suddenly looked black.

And then there was nothing.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You will pay for that, Troy." Onyx's voice was a low growl, a tone scarcely even human. Troy grasped for his sword, his hand meeting empty air.

Up on the ridgeline, he could see more figures beginning to emerge. Damus was standing at their head, his face twisted in concentration as he focused on the teardrop-shaped gem suspended between his palms. Sarah stood to one side of him, a Lohan-made crossbow steady in her hands. Celtos was on the other side of the mage, a longbow already drawn, aiming behind Troy at the men remaining to him.

There were barely two thousand of the ten he had started with. The rest were dead, or deserted. Two thousand men against a force of demon monsters, against this… creature in front of him. Troy's heart shook in his chest. For the first time, he realized it. He was facing his end. This dark demon in front of him, and her people ranked along the ridge with arrows and blades and palms full of fire and majic. There would be no mercy here.

In front of him, Onyx raised one hand above her head, her own gauntlet flashing in the sunlight. When her hand whipped downward, a single word sprang from her lips. "ATTACK!" And Troy could only watch, helpless, as what was left of his army fell. Arrows pierced throats and eyes; white-hot bursts of majic killed instantly, effortlessly; other bodies fell, screaming, wreathed in flame. Any attack they launched bounced harmlessly off an invisible wall that surrounded Onyx's people. The King's Army of Lohan fell in blazing ruins.

And all Troy could do was watch.

"Now you see?" Onyx's voice, soft and measured, drew him away from his dying army, only to the greater horror of her presence. "This is what you have brought upon your people. What you have brought upon yourself. We are the Daughters of the Forbidden Houses. We are those who cursed the kingdom."

"The King's Bane," Troy whispered, memories flashing back to him. "They call you the King's Bane."

"Fitting enough," Onyx replied, shifting her stance slightly. "You call yourself King, don't you, Troy?"

For a moment, Troy felt his breath stop in his throat. There wasn't enough air in his lungs to force a reply, even if he'd known what to say.

"You tried to destroy the House of the Wolf, Troy," Onyx whispered, shifting again, crouching forward. "So it's only fitting that the Wolf shall destroy you." And before Troy's eyes, she began to change. Her long hair became short and coarse. Her elegant face pushed forward into a long muzzle, and her teeth extended into tearing fangs.

Before Troy's disbelieving eyes, Onyx had become a wolf. The last thing he heard was the echo of her quiet voice in his head.

'Goodbye, Troy,' she said simply. And then she attacked.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sarah dropped to the rocky ground on top of the ridgeline, her breath coming in short pants as the crossbow fell from her nerveless fingers. Celtos dropped to one knee beside her, setting a careful hand on her shoulder. The long-range fighters had done everything they could. The warrior-class monsters were moving down to the field now, weapons ready, prepared to deal with the surviving soldiers. If there were any. Staring down at the blackened, bloody field below them, Sarah didn't think it was likely. It had been a massacre.

'Sa-chan?' Onyx's almost tentative mental query brought her head up, sharply. Onyx was never tentative.

'I'm here. What is it?'

'Send Neo down.'

"Oh, no! Katie!" Sarah scrambling to her feet in an instant, fear and anguish blocking anything else Onyx would have said from her mind. Hearing his lover's name, Neo, just as spent as the rest of them, was on his feet and running for the path to the road before Sarah could even stand.

When they got down there, a horrific sight greeted them. A blood-soaked, black-furred wolf waited, a silent sentinel over Kate's still body. Not twenty feet away lay Troy's barely recognizable form; his throat had been torn out so violently that the white of his spine glistened beneath the blood.

Neo gave a wordless shout, throwing himself to his knees at Kate's side, tears already running down his face. A wail tore itself from Sarah's throat, and she buried her head in Celtos' chest, her entire body shaking as she cried.

'Stop sobbing, you idiots, she's still alive!' Onyx's mental voice startled them all, but not quite as much as the words themselves. Emerald-green eyes glared at all of them over the wolf's blood-soaked muzzle, no doubt cursing them all for fools.

"Alive?" Neo's fingers automatically sought out the pulse at Kate's throat, the rise and fall of her chest, and when he found both Sarah thought he might faint from sheer joy. His relief was short-lived, though. "She is alive now, but she's so weak. Her body won't last much longer without healing."

'You need to get her to Dian and Mysti.' Onyx's voice was careful, but listening closely, Sarah could hear it shaking under strain. Onyx had depleted most of her energy in the fight.

As carefully as he could, Neo gathered Kate up into his arms. Moving her could well make things worse, but leaving her here would only guarantee her death. "Steel won't be fast enough," he said suddenly, thinking out loud. His gelding was a fine war horse, who would have galloped unblinking into the mouth of Hell if Neo asked it, but he was not young and he was no race horse.

A faint crunch of bones grinding spun his attention back to Onyx just as she staggered to her human feet. "Take Masabi," she ordered, her voice hoarse. "He's the fastest horse here."

Neo bowed his head to her, awkwardly. At another time, he would have stammered and blushed; never had another person been allowed to ride Onyx's stallion. She'd raised him from birth, and he was her horse alone.

As though reading Onyx's mind, Damus appeared at the bottom of the ridge, leading all of their horses behind him. Silently, he left the others standing there and led Masabi forward. Onyx held the stallion while Neo mounted, resting her forehead against the horse's silver brow.

"Take them to where Dian and Mysti are," she told the horse in a low whisper. "Katie's very life depends on your speed." Leaning back, she passed the reins to Neo, making sure he held them secure in one hand while he cradled Kate with the other. "Now go!" she shouted, and the stallion leapt, his slender body flying across the ground from a standstill. It was seconds before his speed lost the others to Neo's view.

Staring down at the girl in his arms, Neo shifted his grip, pressing his hand against the wound in her back. Closing his eyes, he called up every ounce of life energy he could spare and poured all of it into her body.

"Live, Kojika," he whispered, as Masabi's speed whipped tears from his eyes. "Please, live."


End file.
